Tommy Robinson (activist)
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Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon (born 27 November 1982), better known as Tommy Robinson, is a British far-right,
Islamophobic Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...
activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
, and convicted criminal on multiple counts of violence and fraud as well as other crimes. He is the co-founder and former leader of the
English Defence League The English Defence League (EDL) is a far-right, Islamophobic organisation in the United Kingdom. A social movement and pressure group that employs street demonstrations as its main tactic, the EDL presents itself as a single-issue movement ...
, and later served as a
political advisor Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tele ...
to former
UKIP The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest p ...
leader
Gerard Batten Gerard Joseph Batten (born 27 March 1954) is a British politician who served as the Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2018 to 2019. He was a founding member of the party in 1993, and served as a Member of the European Parliament ( ...
. Robinson has been active in far-right politics for many years. He was a member of the neo-fascist and white nationalist
British National Party The British National Party (BNP) is a far-right, fascist political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, and its leader is Adam Walker. A minor party, it has no elected representatives at any level of UK gover ...
(BNP) from 2004 to 2005. For a short time in 2012, he was joint vice-chairman of the
British Freedom Party The British Freedom Party (BFP) was a short-lived far-right political party in the United Kingdom. The party was registered on 18 October 2010. It was de-registered by the Electoral Commission in December 2012 after failing to return the annua ...
(BFP). Robinson led the EDL from 2009 until 8 October 2013. He continued as an activist, and in 2015 became involved with the development of
Pegida UK Pegida UK was an anti-Islam group in the United Kingdom established by Tommy Robinson in 2016. It is named after the German group Pegida (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident, in German ''Patriotische Europäer gegen ...
, a now defunct British chapter of the German-based far-right organisation Pegida. From 2017 to 2018, Robinson wrote for and appeared in online videos for ''
Rebel News ''Rebel News'' (also known as ''The Rebel Media'' and ''The Rebel'') is a Canadian right-wing to far-right political and social commentary media website operated by Rebel News Network Ltd. It has been described as a "global platform" for the ...
'', a Canadian far-right political website. Robinson has a long-standing criminal record. His convictions include for violence, stalking, financial and immigration frauds, drug possession and public order offences. He has been committed to prison for contempt of court. He has served at least four separate terms of imprisonment: in 2005 for assault, in 2012 for using false travel documents to enter the United States, in 2014 for mortgage fraud, and, in May 2018, Robinson was committed to prison for 13 months for contempt of court after publishing a
Facebook Live Facebook is a social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are available to users of t ...
video of defendants entering a law court, contravening a court order that disallows reporting on such trials while proceedings are ongoing. On 1 August 2018, due to procedural errors, he was released on bail pending a new hearing of the case. On 5 July 2019, Robinson was again found guilty of contempt of court at the retrial and was committed at the Old Bailey to nine months in prison on 11 July․ Before his sentencing, Robinson appeared on ''
InfoWars ''InfoWars'' is an American far-right conspiracy theory and fake news website owned by Alex Jones. It was founded in 1999, and operates under Free Speech Systems LLC. Talk shows and other content for the site are created primarily in stud ...
'' and appealed for
political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another ent ...
in the United States. He was released from prison on 13 September 2019 after serving 9 weeks. On 22 July 2021, Robinson was found to have libelled a 15-year-old refugee at a school in
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
and was ordered to pay £100,000 plus legal costs, although Robinson had filed for
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
in March 2021. In October 2021, he was made subject to a five-year stalking order for harassing the journalist Lizzie Dearden and her partner.


Name

Robinson's birth name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley. The name Tommy Robinson is a pseudonym taken from a prominent member of the "Men In Gear" (MIG)
football hooligan Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviours perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism normally involves ...
crew, which follows Luton Town Football Club. The ''nom de guerre'' successfully hid Robinson's identity as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and his criminal history, until the connection was uncovered in July 2010 by ''
Searchlight A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direc ...
'' magazine.Lowles, Nick and Cressy, Simon (July 2010) "The BNP Past of the EDL Leader", ''
Searchlight A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direc ...
'' n.21, pp.4–5. Robinson has also used the names Andrew McMaster, Paul Harris, Wayne King, and Stephen Lennon.


Early life

Robinson was born Stephen Christopher Yaxley in
Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...
, England. In an interview with
Victoria Derbyshire Victoria Antoinette Derbyshire is a British journalist, newsreader and broadcaster. Her eponymous current affairs and debate programme was broadcast on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel from 2015 until March 2020. She has also presented ''News ...
on BBC Radio Five live in 2010, he said that his parents "were Irish immigrants to this country". His mother, who worked at a local bakery, remarried when Robinson was still young; his stepfather, Thomas Lennon, worked at the
Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
car plant in Luton. According to Robinson, after leaving school he applied to study aircraft engineering at Luton Airport: "I got an apprenticeship 600 people applied for, and they took four people on." He qualified in 2003 after five years of study, but then lost his job when he was convicted of assaulting an off-duty police officer in a drunken argument. He served a 12-month prison sentence. Robinson joined the far-right and fascist political party
British National Party The British National Party (BNP) is a far-right, fascist political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, and its leader is Adam Walker. A minor party, it has no elected representatives at any level of UK gover ...
(BNP), then led by
Nick Griffin Nicholas John Griffin (born 1 March 1959) is a British politician and white supremacist who represented North West England as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 to 2014. He served as chairman and then president of the far-righ ...
, in 2004. When questioned about this by the journalist
Andrew Neil Andrew Ferguson Neil (born 21 May 1949) is a Scottish former journalist and broadcaster who is chairman of ''The Spectator'' and presenter of '' The Andrew Neil Show'' on Channel 4. He was editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1983 to 1994. He f ...
in June 2013, he said that he had left after one year, stating he did not know Nick Griffin was in the National Front and did not know that non-whites could not join the organisation. Robinson said, "I joined, I saw what it was about, it was not for me." Robinson was involved with the group United Peoples of Luton, formed in response to a March 2009 protest against
Royal Anglian Regiment The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating i ...
troops returning from the Afghan War being attacked by the Islamist groups Al-Muhajiroun and Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah.


English Defence League

Robinson founded the
English Defence League The English Defence League (EDL) is a far-right, Islamophobic organisation in the United Kingdom. A social movement and pressure group that employs street demonstrations as its main tactic, the EDL presents itself as a single-issue movement ...
(EDL) in 2009 with his cousin Kevin Carroll, and became its leader with Carroll as deputy leader. Robinson stated that he had been prompted to found the EDL after he had read a newspaper article about local Islamists attempting to recruit men outside a bakery in Luton to fight for the
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
in Afghanistan. Robinson has appeared masked at protests. Although Robinson repeatedly insisted from the early days of the organisation that the EDL was "against the rise of radical Islam" and that its members "aren't against Islam", its rank and file were noted for including football hooligans and members who described themselves as anti-Muslim. Robinson founded the
European Defence League The European Defence League (EDL) is a largely UK-based offshoot of the English Defence League founded by Tommy Robinson which campaigns against what it considers sharia law and itself has various offshoots. The group was set up in October 2010 ...
, a co-ordination of groups similar to the EDL operating in different European countries. Robinson's identity as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon was unmasked by ''
Searchlight A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direc ...
'' magazine in July 2010. Yaxley-Lennon's prior criminal history was thereby connected with Robinson. Robinson was assaulted on 22 December 2011. He said this occurred after stopping his car due to another car flashing its lights at him, and that a group of three men attacked and beat him, until they were stopped by the arrival of a "
good Samaritan In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...
". Robinson said that the attackers were of Asian appearance. Bedfordshire Police stated that it was "unclear what the motive for the attack was". Robinson was convicted in 2011 of using "threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour" during a fight between supporters of
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
and Newport County in Luton the previous year. Robinson reportedly led the group of Luton fans, and played an integral part in starting a 100-man brawl, during which he chanted "EDL till I die". He was sentenced to a 12-month community rehabilitation order with 150 hours' unpaid work and a three-year ban from attending football matches. Robinson was arrested again after an EDL demonstration in
Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough covering much of the traditional East End. It was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Poplar, and Bethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originally ...
in September 2011 for breach of bail conditions, as he had been banned from attending that demonstration. Robinson later began a hunger strike while on remand in
HM Prison Bedford HMP Bedford is a Category B men's prison, located in the Harpur area of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History The prison has been on its current site since 1801 and was designed by t ...
, saying that he was a "political prisoner of the state", and refused to eat what he believed was
halal ''Halal'' (; ar, حلال, ) is an Arabic word that translates to "permissible" in English. In the Quran, the word ''halal'' is contrasted with '' haram'' (forbidden). This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification k ...
meat. A handful of EDL supporters protested outside the prison in support of Robinson during his incarceration; the support peaked at a turnout of 100 protesters on 10 September. Robinson was released on bail on 12 September. On 29 September 2011, Robinson was convicted of
common assault Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...
after
headbutt A headbutt is a targeted strike with the head, typically (when intentional) involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of an opponent, such as ...
ing a fellow EDL member at a rally in
Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
in April that year. He was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. On 8 November 2011, Robinson held a protest on the rooftop of the
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
headquarters in
Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
against FIFA's ruling that the
England national football team The England national football team has represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by The Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Engl ...
could not wear a
Remembrance poppy A remembrance poppy is an artificial flower worn in some countries to commemorate their military personnel who died in war. Remembrance poppies are produced by veterans' associations, who exchange the poppies for charitable donations used to gi ...
symbol on their shirts. For this he was fined £3,000 and jailed for three days. In 2012, Robinson announced that he had joined the
British Freedom Party The British Freedom Party (BFP) was a short-lived far-right political party in the United Kingdom. The party was registered on 18 October 2010. It was de-registered by the Electoral Commission in December 2012 after failing to return the annua ...
(BFP). He was appointed its joint vice-chairman along with Carroll after the EDL and the BFP agreed an electoral pact in 2011. However, on 11 October 2012, Robinson resigned from the BFP to concentrate on EDL activities. The same year, he was described as one of the
counter-jihad Counter-jihad, also spelled counterjihad and known as the counter-jihad movement, is a self-titled political current loosely consisting of authors, bloggers, think tanks, street movements and campaign organisations all linked by apocalyptic bel ...
network's most influential figures.


Leaving the EDL

In April 2012, Robinson took part in a programme in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's television series ''
The Big Questions ''The Big Questions'' is an interfaith dialogue and ethics television programme usually presented by Nicky Campbell. It is broadcast live on BBC One on Sunday mornings, replacing '' The Heaven and Earth Show'' as the BBC's religious discussion ...
'' in which far-right extremism was debated.
Mo Ansar Mohammed "Mo" Ansar ( ar, محمد انصار, born 6 April 1974) is a British political and social commentator. Life and career Ansar was an employee of Lloyds Banking Group, until he was suspended in 2003 for unsatisfactory work and fals ...
, a British Muslim political and social commentator, took part in the same programme, and invited Robinson to join him and his family for dinner. This resulted in several meetings over the next 18 months between Robinson and Ansar to discuss Islam, Islamism and the Muslim community, accompanied by a BBC team which created the documentary ''When Tommy Met Mo''. On 8 October 2013, Quilliam held a press conference with Robinson and the EDL's deputy leader Kevin Carroll to announce that Robinson and Carroll had left the EDL. Robinson said that he had been considering leaving for a long time because of concerns over the "dangers of far-right extremism". Robinson said: "I acknowledge the dangers of far-right extremism and the ongoing need to counter Islamist ideology not with violence but with better, democratic ideas". Ten other senior figures left the EDL with Robinson and Carroll, and
Tim Ablitt The English Defence League (EDL) is a far-right, Islamophobic organisation in the United Kingdom. A social movement and pressure group that employs street demonstrations as its main tactic, the EDL presents itself as a single-issue movement ...
became the EDL's new leader. When Robinson was questioned by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' about having blamed "'every single Muslim' for 'getting away' with the 7 July bombings, and for calling Islam a fascist and violent religion, he held up his hands and said, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry.'" Robinson also said that he would now give evidence to the police to help in their investigation of racists within the EDL. Robinson added that "his future work would involve taking on radicalism on all fronts". Robinson said in his autobiography that he was paid £2,000 per month for Quilliam to take credit for his leaving the EDL, which a Quilliam spokesperson denied.


Hearts of Oak

In February 2020, Robinson,
Carl Benjamin Carl Benjamin (born 1979), also known by his online pseudonym Sargon of Akkad, is a British far-right anti-feminist YouTuber and political commentator. A former member of the Eurosceptic right-wing UK Independence Party (UKIP), he was one o ...
{also known as "Sargon of Akkad") and other former
UKIP The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest p ...
members launched the far-right organisation Hearts of Oak. At its launch, the members said that it is not a political party but a "cultural movement", whose key issues include "strong borders, immigration and national identity", "authorities privileging and protecting Islam alone" and "freedom of speech". Other contributors to Hearts of Oak include Dr Niall McRae, the co-author of an Islamophobic and anti-Semitic conspiracy booklet, and
Catherine Blaiklock Catherine Blaiklock (born April 1963) is an English financial trader and hotelier who was the founder and first leader of the Brexit Party, a political party established in January 2019 to support a no-deal Brexit. She was forced to resign as le ...
, the former leader of the
Brexit Party Reform UK is a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded with support from Nigel Farage in November 2018 as the Brexit Party, advocating hard Euroscepticism and a no-deal Brexit, and was bri ...
. Hearts of Oak's address is 71-75 Shelton Street. Vice World News found eight separate companies currently or formerly run from that address whose directors are members of the Orthodox Conservatives, the
Bow Group The Bow Group is a UK-based think tank promoting conservative opinion. Founded in 1951, it is the oldest group of its kind, counting many senior Conservative Party MPs and peers among its members. It represents a forum for political debate with i ...
or
Turning Point UK Turning Point UK (TPUK) is a British offshoot of Turning Point USA set up to promote right-wing politics in UK schools, colleges and universities, ostensibly to counter what Turning Point alleges are the left-wing politics of UK educational ins ...
. Spotify has been criticised for distributing podcasts by Hearts of Oak, whose guests have included
Lutz Bachmann Lutz Bachmann (born 26 January 1973) is the founder of the Pegida movement, a far-right German political organisation linked to the anti-Muslim counter-jihad ideology. History Personal life Born in 1973 in Dresden, East Germany, Bachmann ha ...
, the founder of the far-right anti-Islam Pegida movement, as well as Robinson and Benjamin. Robinson and Benjamin pre-recorded a speech that was displayed at a protest on 1 August 2020 demanding the deportation of the men involved in the
Rochdale child sex abuse ring The Rochdale child sex abuse ring involved underage teenage girls in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. Nine men were convicted of sex trafficking and other offences including rape, trafficking girls for sex and conspiracy to engage in sexual ...
. Richard Inman, the founder of
Veterans Against Terrorism The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member ...
, a campaign group with far-right associations, was also a speaker and demanded the death penalty, stating "this rape epidemic" is "carried out by one section of the community", referring to Muslim Pakistani men. However, a 2011 government report showed that almost 85% of men found guilty of sexual activity with a minor in England and Wales were white. Antifacist counter-protestors produced a leaflet that said, "Hearts of Oak are ideologically based on Islamophobia, racism and nationalism. By focusing only on sexual attacks by Muslims, they dismiss all other sexual attacks by men who are not Muslims. Singling out one group of people as the sole perpetrators of sexual crimes is a lie and it is racist. Focusing exclusively on sexual crimes and violence against women committed by Muslims is sexist, as it deliberately forgets all the other victims of sexual crimes and violence against women." As the protest finished, Stand Up to Racism tweeted, "Several speakers didn't show & the 'highlight' of Tommy Robinson's video message went down poorly Hearts of Oak are going nowhere." On 18 September 2022, Standing For Women, founded by
Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Kellie-Jay Keen and Posie Parker, is a British anti-Legal status of transgender people, transgender rights activist and founder of the group Standing for Women. She describes herself as a Women's rights ...
held a rally in Brighton. Hearts of Oak attended and live-streamed from the front of the inner circle at the rally.


Later activities

Robinson spoke at the
Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest ...
on 26 November 2014.
Unite Against Fascism Unite Against Fascism (UAF) is a British anti-fascist group. Its joint secretaries are Weyman Bennett and Sabby Dhalu, formerly of the National Assembly Against Racism (NAAR). Its chair is Steve Hart of Unite the Union and its assistant secre ...
(UAF) protested against his appearance, criticising the Union for allowing him the platform when, according to UAF, he had not renounced the views of the EDL. Robinson told the audience he was not allowed to talk about certain issues because he was out on prison licence. He said, "I regain my freedom of speech on the 22 July 2015." He criticised "politicians, the media and police for failing to tackle certain criminal activities because of the fear of being labelled
Islamophobic Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...
." He said that
Woodhill prison HM Prison Woodhill is a Category A male prison, located in Milton Keynes, England. Woodhill Prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. A section of the prison is designated as a Young Offenders Institution. A Secure Training Centre i ...
had become "an ISIS training camp", and that radicals were "running the wings". After release from licence at the end of his sentence, Robinson returned to anti-Islam demonstrations with
Pegida UK Pegida UK was an anti-Islam group in the United Kingdom established by Tommy Robinson in 2016. It is named after the German group Pegida (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident, in German ''Patriotische Europäer gegen ...
, a British offshoot of Pegida, a German anti-immigration organisation founded in
Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
amid the
European migrant crisis The 2015 European migrant crisis, also known internationally as the Syrian refugee crisis, was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe in 2015, when 1.3 million people came to the continent to reques ...
. Addressing a Pegida anti-Islam rally in October 2015, Robinson spoke out against what he perceived to be the threat of Islamist terrorists posing as refugees. He announced the creation of a "British chapter" of Pegida in December 2015. He said that alcohol and fighting would not be permitted because "It's too serious now for that stuff", and told ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' that a mass demonstration would take place across Europe on 6 February 2016. On 14 February 2016, Robinson was attacked and treated at a hospital after leaving a nightclub in
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
. Robinson wrote an autobiography, ''Enemy of the State'', which was self-published in 2015. Robinson travelled to watch
UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
in France and demonstrated with a T-shirt and English flag ridiculing the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
(ISIL). Bedfordshire Police imposed a
football banning order The Football Spectators Act 1989 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom enacted during the premiership of Margaret Thatcher. Its provisions apply primarily to football matches played in England and Wales. Amendments to the Act were ...
on him on his return; his solicitor Alison Gurden accused the police of equating the proscribed terrorist group with all Muslims in their action. In September, a judge at Luton Magistrates' Court dismissed the case, calling the prosecution's evidence "vague" and "cagey". On 27 August 2016, 18 Luton Town football supporters, including Robinson and his family, were ejected by police from a
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
pub on the day of the
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on Ne ...
versus Luton football match. Robinson claimed he had been victimised, and complaints were submitted to Cambridge Police. In March 2019, at Peterborough County Court, Robinson accused Cambridgeshire Constabulary of harassment, direct discrimination, humiliation, stress, anxiety, and breach of human rights namely, the right to family life, right to freedom of conscience or religion and freedom of expression. The claims related to police behaviour around Robinson's possibly being issued a section 35 dispersal order at the pub after the match in 2016. The court rejected Robinson's claims and ordered him to pay £20,000 towards costs. Robinson said he would appeal against the ruling. Robinson was a correspondent for
Rebel News ''Rebel News'' (also known as ''The Rebel Media'' and ''The Rebel'') is a Canadian right-wing to far-right political and social commentary media website operated by Rebel News Network Ltd. It has been described as a "global platform" for the ...
, a Canadian far-right website. In May 2017, he was arrested for contempt of court after he attempted to take video of the defendants in an ongoing rape trial outside Canterbury Crown Court. Robinson's second self-published book, '' Mohammed's Koran: Why Muslims Kill For Islam'' was co-authored with Peter McLoughlin and released in 2017.
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
has refused to sell it. Robinson was involved in a fist fight at Royal Ascot later in June 2017, for which
Piers Morgan Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (; né O'Meara; born 30 March 1965) is a British broadcaster, journalist, writer, and television personality. He began his Fleet Street career in 1988 at '' The Sun''. In 1994, aged 29, he was appointed editor of the ...
criticised him on Twitter. In March 2018, Robinson attended court in support of Mark Meechan, who had been charged for a hate crime after posting footage online of a dog performing Nazi salutes in response to the phrases "gas the Jews" and "Sieg Heil". Meechan was found guilty because the video was "antisemitic and racist in nature" and was aggravated by religious prejudice. Meechan said that the video was taken out of context and was a joke to annoy his girlfriend. In response to the
Telford child sexual exploitation scandal The Telford child sexual exploitation scandal was a scandal spanning over several decades in the United Kingdom involving a group of men who were convicted of engaging in sexual contact with local female minors between 2007 and 2009 in Telford in ...
, Robinson held a January 2022 protest in Telford, during which he screened his 73-minute documentary about Muslim grooming gangs, titled ''The Rape of Britain: Survivor Stories''.


Communication with Finsbury Park terrorist attack perpetrator

It was revealed in court that the perpetrator of London's 2017 Finsbury Park mosque terrorist attack received emails from Robinson and read Robinson's tweets in the lead-up to the attack. Robinson's tweet mocking people for responding to terrorism with the phrase "don't look back in anger" was found in the note at the scene of the attack. An email from Robinson's account to the attacker Darren Osborne shortly before read, "Dear Darren, you know about the terrible crimes committed against
ame redacted #REDIRECT AME {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...
of Sunderland. Police let the suspects go… why? It is because the suspects are refugees from Syria and Iraq. It's a national outrage…" Another email read, "There is a nation within a nation forming just beneath the surface of the UK. It is a nation built on hatred, on violence and on Islam." Robinson responded on Twitter to the
Finsbury Park attack The 2017 Finsbury Park attack was a terror-attack in Finsbury Park (district), Finsbury Park, London, England, on 19 June 2017. A van was Vehicle-ramming attack, driven into pedestrians in Finsbury Park, London, by Darren Osborne, causing one d ...
, writing, "The mosque where the attack happened tonight has a long history of creating terrorists & radical jihadists & promoting hate & segregation," and, "I'm not justifying it, I've said many times if government or police don't sort these centres of hate they will create monsters as seen tonight." Robinson's statements were widely criticised in the media as inciting hatred. Appearing the next morning on '' Good Morning Britain'', Robinson held up the
Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
and described it as a "violent and cursed book". The host, Piers Morgan, accused him of "stirring up hatred like a bigoted lunatic", and Robinson's appearance drew a number of complaints to
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
. Commander Dean Haydon of
Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...
's counter-terrorism command said that online material from Robinson had played a "significant role" in how Osborne was radicalised and "brainwashed".
Mark Rowley Sir Mark Peter Rowley (born November 1964) is a British senior police officer who has been the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis since September 2022. He was the Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for Specialist Operati ...
, the outgoing Assistant Commissioner of the
Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
and the UK's most senior counter-terror officer said that there is "no doubt" that material posted online by people including Robinson drove the Finsbury Park terror attacker to targeting Muslims. In response, Robinson said: "I'm gonna find Mark Rowley."


Almondbury Community School assault and legal action against Robinson

After a Syrian refugee boy was assaulted in a school bullying incident in October 2018, Robinson falsely accused the victim of having previously attacked two schoolgirls. The 15-year-old refugee was dragged to the floor by his neck and told by his attacker, "I'll drown you", while water was forced into his mouth. The boy's arm was in a cast after it had been broken in a separate assault. His sister had also been assaulted. A 16-year-old boy believed to be the attacker, who was interviewed by police and given a court summons, had shared numerous social media posts by Robinson. On
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
, Robinson subsequently posted a screenshot of a message from a mother saying her daughter had been bullied and he accused the refugee of being the bully. However, the mother responded on Robinson's Facebook page informing him this was false. Robinson also made a false allegation using a photo stolen from a news article on a teenage cancer patient. These events forced the refugee's family to relocate because "the level of abuse the children have received has become too much". The family decided to move elsewhere in West Yorkshire. Robinson may have breached court orders preventing the naming of the alleged perpetrator in several videos on Facebook and
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
, including one that was viewed more than 150,000 times. A lawyer said in doing so Robinson had "compounded" the refugee's suffering, adding "many people on social media having viewed Mr Yaxley-Lennon’s obinson'slies believed them and expressed their outrage toward
he refugee He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
" In January 2019, the refugee said returning to Almondbury Community School was still too dangerous. He described living in fear after Robinson's postings because "there are people who hang around outside my house and video me on their phones. They call me 'little rat' if I go outside. One of my neighbours threatened me outside my house just yesterday." His lawyers said Robinson's postings had made him "the focus of countless messages of hate and threats from the extreme right wing" and had led to a police safety warning. After receiving a letter from lawyers representing the refugee boy's family, pointing out that the videos Robinson had posted "contain a number of false and defamatory allegations", Robinson admitted to his followers that it was fake news and said that he had been duped: "I have been completely had, how embarrassing man." Robinson deleted the videos and admitted to posting a fake photograph purporting to show violence by a Muslim gang. He was warned about legal action for defamation. In response to allegations from Robinson's supporters that this warning "blocked" free speech, the boy's lawyer said, "Tommy Robinson thinks it is a good idea to defame this 15-year-old boy and accuse him of being the author of his own bullying. It is actually sickening." On 15 May 2019, the boy's lawyer said that his client was suing Robinson for "defamatory comments" Robinson had made. It was reported that Facebook protected prominent figures such as Robinson from the normal rules of moderation that would usually see a page removed after posting content that violates its rules. Solicitors representing the victim are pursuing
legal action In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the party ...
against the social media firm on the basis Facebook was responsible for Robinson's posts as it had given him "special treatment
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
seems to be financially driven". However, on 26 February 2019, Facebook announced that it had banned Robinson from the service for violating its community standards and "posting material that uses dehumanizing language and calls for violence targeted at Muslims". It also cited violations of policies concerning "organized hate". On 22 July 2021, Robinson was found to have libelled the boy and was ordered to pay £100,000 plus legal costs, which are understood to amount to a further £500,000. An injunction was also granted to stop Robinson from repeating the libel. Robinson, who represented himself during the four-day trial, said he was "gobsmacked" by the costs the victim's lawyers were claiming, which he said included £70,000 for taking witness statements. He added: "I've not got any money. I'm bankrupt. I've struggled hugely with my own issues these last 12 months ... I ain't got it." In January 2022, an independent insolvency expert was appointed by Robinson's creditors (who include the schoolboy and the boy's lawyers – owed an estimated £1.5m in legal costs) to find any assets or money that Robinson could be hiding.


Other social media activity

In March 2018, Robinson was permanently banned from
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
for violating its rules on "hateful conduct". In January 2019,
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
announced that it had removed adverts from Robinson's account, saying that he had breached the site's guidelines. Also in January 2019, Robinson
livestreamed Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...
himself causing a lockdown, by leading a group that surrounded a library where the Glasgow South MP, Stewart McDonald, was holding a surgery. The group included the convicted armed kidnapper Daniel Thomas. The library was reportedly bombarded with phone calls. McDonald was eventually escorted away by police and he said the group blocked emergency exits. In February 2019, using his
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
account, Robinson wrote "I guess it's ok to rape white women then?" next to a Rape Crisis flyer about specialist services for ethnic minority victims, resulting in hundreds of racist and abusive phone calls to the centre from Robinson's supporters. The centre, which was providing support for rape victims of all ethnic backgrounds, condemned Robinson's post for "disrupting much-needed service provision for victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse of ''all'' ethnicities and backgrounds". The centre included specialised services for ethnic minorities because "some groups of women who have survived sexual violence and abuse can face additional barriers to accessing services, including related to language and to the fear and/or past or current experience of racism and racial discrimination". In February 2019, Facebook and
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
banned him from their platforms citing violations of their hate speech rules including "calls for violence targeted at Muslims". Facebook subsequently placed him on its list of "Dangerous Individuals". On 4 March 2019, at 11pm, Robinson arrived uninvited outside the home of a journalist who covers far-right issues and attempted to intimidate him. Robinson revealed the journalist's address on a
livestream Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...
and threatened to reveal the addresses of other journalists. He left after police arrived, but returned at 5am. Robinson said this was an act of retaliation for having been served a legal letter at his parents-in-law's home, an act which he said was videoed and which he described as harassment. Robinson gave no indication that the journalist he attempted to intimidate had been involved in that alleged act. The journalist said the letter had been given to a police officer 50 metres from the house in question. In April 2019, YouTube restricted Robinson's account due to its "borderline content", placing its content "behind an interstitial arning page removed from recommendations, and stripped of key features including livestreaming, comments, suggested videos, and likes". On 5 April 2019, Snapchat terminated Robinson's account for violating their community guidelines, which prohibit hate speech and harassment. In January 2020, Robinson was given the International Free Press award, also known as the Sappho Prize, described as an award given to journalists who combine excellence in their work with courage and a refusal to compromise. The International Free Press Society is closely connected to the counterjihad movement and
Liz Fekete Liz Fekete is director of the Institute of Race Relations, where she has worked since 1982. She researches racism, Islamophobia and far-right extremism in Europe. She also speaks to the media on these topics. Fekete was a member of the Campaign Aga ...
, the executive director of the
Institute of Race Relations The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) is a think tank based in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1958 in order to publish research on race relations worldwide, and in 1972 was transformed into an "anti-racist think tank". Proposed by ''Sund ...
in Britain, has suggested that it is an instrument for pushing the boundaries of hate speech. On 1 November 2020, Robinson was arrested at
Speakers' Corner A Speakers' Corner is an area where open-air public speaking, debate, and discussion are allowed. The original and best known is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park in London, England. Historically there were a number of other areas desig ...
in Hyde Park, London, for breaking COVID-19 rules.


Political activities

From 2004 to 2005, Robinson was a member of the far-right
British National Party The British National Party (BNP) is a far-right, fascist political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, and its leader is Adam Walker. A minor party, it has no elected representatives at any level of UK gover ...
(BNP). In September 2018, Robinson expressed a desire to join the
UK Independence Party The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest par ...
(UKIP). On 23 November 2018, UKIP leader
Gerard Batten Gerard Joseph Batten (born 27 March 1954) is a British politician who served as the Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2018 to 2019. He was a founding member of the party in 1993, and served as a Member of the European Parliament ( ...
appointed Robinson as his own advisor. In response, the former UKIP leader
Nigel Farage Nigel Paul Farage (; born 3 April 1964) is a British broadcaster and former politician who was List of UK Independence Party leaders, Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2006 to 2009 and 2010 to 2016 and Brexit Party#Leaders, Lea ...
described Robinson as a "thug" and said he was heartbroken with the direction UKIP was going. Farage and a
Welsh Assembly The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh ...
member called for Batten to be removed as leader. At a UKIP meeting on 30 November, Robinson sat with Daniel Thomas, a convicted kidnapper. Many prominent UKIP members, including eight of its
MEPs A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
, resigned from the party in response to Robinson's appointment. Of the eight MEPs who left, two were former party leaders. One was the UKIP's leader in Scotland; and another was Nigel Farage, who said Robinson and his associates brought "scuffles" and "violence" into the party and "many have criminal records, some pretty serious". UKIP's rules deny membership to those who have been part of extreme right-wing groups in the past: these preclude Robinson from joining, as he founded the English Defence League (EDL), had been a member of the
British National Party The British National Party (BNP) is a far-right, fascist political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, and its leader is Adam Walker. A minor party, it has no elected representatives at any level of UK gover ...
, and has had ties with the
British Freedom Party The British Freedom Party (BFP) was a short-lived far-right political party in the United Kingdom. The party was registered on 18 October 2010. It was de-registered by the Electoral Commission in December 2012 after failing to return the annua ...
. UKIP's National Executive Committee considered waiving that clause for Robinson as a special case. If approved, his possible membership would be put to a vote at the party's conference. UKIP leader Batten supported Robinson joining the party, while UKIP
Welsh Assembly The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh ...
members
Michelle Brown Michelle Margaret Freda Brown (born 30 December 1969) is a British politician who was a Member of the Senedd (MS) for North Wales from 2016 to 2021. In March 2019 she resigned from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) to become an independent. Edu ...
and David Rowlands said they opposed it. On 25 April 2019, Robinson announced that he would be an independent candidate in the May 2019 European Parliament election in
North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...
. It was reported
Anne Marie Waters Anne Marie Dorothy Waters (born 24 August 1977) is a far-right politician and activist in the United Kingdom. She founded and led the anti-Islam party For Britain until its dissolution in 2022. She is also the director of Sharia Watch UK, an or ...
, leader of the far-right For Britain party, promised Robinson the support of her party. Two people were hospitalised when Robinson campaigned as an MEP candidate in
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
, Cheshire on 2 May. His security team and supporters physically attacked anti-racism activists, with one anti-racism activist saying she suffered a broken nose. Police launched an investigation into the violence. Robinson finished eighth in the election with 38,908 votes (2.2%), widely described as "humiliating" in the media, and losing his deposit. He said he had faced a "near impossible task" in attempting to win a seat, as he was "unable to get across his message on social media platforms" after being banned by almost all such platforms. His reaction was to mock the idea of a
People's Vote People's Vote was a United Kingdom campaign group that unsuccessfully campaigned for a second referendum following the UK's Brexit vote to leave the European Union (EU) in 2016. The group was launched in April 2018 at which four Members of Pa ...
by joking about having another election. Prior to the 2019 United Kingdom general election, Robinson endorsed
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
leader
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
as Prime Minister. Following the election, he announced he had joined the party. However, this was denied by a Conservative MP and by the Conservative Party nationally. ''Scram:'', a website that campaigns against Robinson and other figures it sees as promoting far-right politics, has also debunked the claim.


Financial support

Robinson has received in excess of £2m in donations and sponsorship, much of it from foreign sources. In 2017, the American billionaire Robert Shillman funded a paid fellowship at the rightwing Canadian website Rebel Media, with Robinson receiving over $6,000 (£5,000) per month. In 2018, Robinson received £2m in donations that were sought by opponents of his imprisonment. In July 2018,
Middle East Forum The Middle East Forum (MEF) is an American conservative think tank founded in 1990 by Daniel Pipes, who serves as its president. MEF became an independent non-profit organization in 1994. It publishes a journal, the ''Middle East Quarterly''. A ...
, a US think tank led by
Daniel Pipes Daniel Pipes (born September 9, 1949) is an American historian, writer, and commentator. He is the president of the Middle East Forum, and publisher of its ''Middle East Quarterly'' journal. His writing focuses on American foreign policy and the ...
and described as "fomenting anti-Muslim sentiment", said it had been funding rallies in Robinson's support and paying legal costs in his appeal against his prison sentence. He also received funding from the rightwing group
Yellow Vest Australia Yellow Vest Australia (YVA), until 9 April 2019 known as the Australian Liberty Alliance (ALA), was a minor right-wing to far-right political party in Australia. The party was founded by members of the Q Society of Australia, Q Society and h ...
. For several months in late 2018, Robinson used Facebook's donations feature that was intended for charities to instead collect money for a new conspiracy theory website and to fund legal action against the British government in relation to his own prison treatment. Within hours of learning of the charity feature's misuse, Facebook removed the button from Robinson's page. In November 2018,
PayPal PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers, and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper ...
told Robinson that it would no longer process payments on his behalf, saying that "Striking the necessary balance between upholding free expression and open dialogue and protecting principles of tolerance, diversity and respect for all people is a challenge that many companies are grappling with today." Robinson described the decision as "fascism". The service said it cannot "be used to promote hate, violence, or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory".


Contempt proceedings

On 10 May 2017, Robinson was charged with contempt of court, and convicted. He had filmed inside Canterbury Crown Court and posted prejudicial statements calling the defendants "Muslim child rapists" while the jury was deliberating. Judge Heather Norton said Robinson used "pejorative language in his broadcast which prejudged the outcome of the case and could have had the effect of substantially derailing the trial". She added, "this is not about free speech, not about the freedom of the press, nor about legitimate journalism, and not about political correctness. It is about justice and ensuring that a trial can be carried out justly and fairly, it's about being innocent until proven guilty. It is about preserving the integrity of the jury to continue without people being intimidated or being affected by irresponsible and inaccurate 'reporting', if that's what it was". The court then wrongly stated that Robinson had been sentenced to three months' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months and entered that incorrect result in the court records. In law, he had been committed to prison for a period of three months but suspended that committal for eighteen months. That technical error, the distinction between committed to prison and sentenced to imprisonment was identified and corrected by the Court of Appeal. The incorrect result was reported in the press. The ramifications of this technical error came into effect in 2018 when the suspended prison sentence was activated. Robinson was again found to be in contempt of court at Leeds, again wrongly given a sentence of imprisonment and the Canterbury suspended sentence activated. Both sentences were for the offence of contempt of court, which can include speeches or publications that create a "substantial risk that the course of justice in the proceedings in question will be seriously impeded or prejudiced". He was later released following a successful challenge to the court's sentencing procedure. A rehearing was ordered.


2018 imprisonment

Robinson was jailed and later released in mid-2018 for almost collapsing the
Huddersfield grooming gang The Huddersfield grooming gang was a group of men who were convicted of sexual offences against girls in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. It is the largest gang ever convicted for sex abuse in the United Kingdom. The offences took pla ...
trial. On 25 May 2018, Robinson was arrested for a
breach of the peace Breach of the peace, or disturbing the peace, is a legal term used in constitutional law in English-speaking countries and in a public order sense in the several jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It is a form of disorderly conduct. Public ord ...
while
live streaming Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...
outside
Leeds Crown Court Leeds Crown Court, more accurately the Crown Court at Leeds, is a venue of the Crown Court in West Yorkshire, England. The buildings are situated on Westgate in Leeds city centre, adjacent to Leeds magistrates courts. Notable cases As Leeds As ...
during the trial of the
Huddersfield grooming gang The Huddersfield grooming gang was a group of men who were convicted of sexual offences against girls in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. It is the largest gang ever convicted for sex abuse in the United Kingdom. The offences took pla ...
on which reporting restrictions had been ordered by the judge. Following Robinson's arrest, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC issued a further reporting restriction on Robinson's case, prohibiting any reporting of Robinson's case or the grooming trial until the latter case was complete. The reporting restriction with regard to Robinson was lifted on 29 May 2018, following a challenge by journalists. The media reported that Robinson had admitted contempt of court by publishing information that could
prejudice Prejudice can be an affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived (usually unfavourable) evaluation or classification of another person based on that person's per ...
an ongoing trial, and had been jailed for 13 months. Judge Marson sentenced Robinson to ten months for contempt of court and his previous three months' suspended sentence was activated because of the breach. Robinson's lawyer said that Robinson felt "deep regret" after comprehending the potential consequences of his behaviour. Having breached a temporary ''section 4 (2) order'' under the
Contempt of Court Act 1981 The Contempt of Court Act 1981 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It codifies some aspects of the common law offence of contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobed ...
, Robinson was told that if a retrial had to be held as a result of his actions the cost could be "hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds". Dominic Casciani, the BBC's home affairs correspondent, said, "This is not some new form of censorship directed at Robinson. These are rules that apply to us all, equally. If he is unsure about that, he's now got time on his hands to read a copy of ''Essential Law for Journalists''."


Response of supporters

The jailing of Robinson drew condemnation from right-wing circles. The
UK Independence Party The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest par ...
leader
Gerard Batten Gerard Joseph Batten (born 27 March 1954) is a British politician who served as the Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2018 to 2019. He was a founding member of the party in 1993, and served as a Member of the European Parliament ( ...
MEP expressed concern about the proceedings and the ban on reporting. Robinson attracted sympathy from several right-wing politicians in Europe, including the Dutch Party for Freedom leader
Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (; born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the Party for Freedom (''Partij voor de Vrijheid'' – PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives (''Tweede Kamer'' ...
and the member of the German Bundestag for the far-right Alternative for Germany Petr Bystron. On the weekends following Robinson's arrest, his supporters held rallies to show support. At a demonstration in London on 9 June, over 10,000 protesters blocked the roads around
Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...
and some attacked police, injuring five officers. Demonstrators prevented a Muslim woman from driving a bus, performed
Nazi salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute (german: link=no, Hitlergruß, , Hitler greeting, ; also called by the Nazi Party , 'German greeting', ), or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. Th ...
s, threw scaffolding, glass bottles and street furniture at police, and damaged vehicles and buildings. An online petition for his release had more than 500,000 signatures. The anti-fascist
advocacy group Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the developm ...
''
Hope not Hate Hope not Hate (stylized as HOPE not hate) is an advocacy group based in the United Kingdom which campaigns against racism and fascism. It has also mounted campaigns against Islamic extremism and antisemitism. It is self-described as a "non-par ...
'' said its analysis showed that 68.1% of the signatures were from the UK, with 9.7% from Australia, and the remaining 9.3% from the US, Canada, Germany, France, New Zealand, Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland combined. In mid–June Robinson was transferred from HMP Hull to HMP Onley, the prison with the highest Muslim population (30.4%) in the Midlands. Caolan Robertson, then Robinson's cameraman, spread false information substantially exaggerating the Muslim population of a prison to which Robinson was moved. Robertson told the
InfoWars ''InfoWars'' is an American far-right conspiracy theory and fake news website owned by Alex Jones. It was founded in 1999, and operates under Free Speech Systems LLC. Talk shows and other content for the site are created primarily in stud ...
conspiracy theorist
Alex Jones Alexander Emerick Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American far-right and alt-right radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts ''The Alex Jones Show'' from Austin, Texas, which the Genesis Communications Network broadcas ...
that Robinson's new prison was "about 71 per cent Muslim" and therefore "really, really, really disastrous". The former ''
Breitbart ''Breitbart News Network'' (known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an American far-rightMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * syndicated news, opinion, and commentary website founded in mid-2007 b ...
'' editor
Raheem Kassam Raheem J. Kassam (born 1 August 1986) is a British political activist, former editor-in-chief of ''Breitbart News'' London, and former chief adviser to former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage. He has been described as Far-right po ...
tweeted it to his followers while falsely accusing the
Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...
,
Sajid Javid Sajid Javid (; born 5 December 1969) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from June 2021 to July 2022, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2018 to 2019 and Chancellor of the Exchequer ...
, of moving Robinson there. A Robinson supporter was subsequently jailed for posing threatening and abusive messages aimed at Javid, relating to Robinson. In July 2018,
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...
reported that the
United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom The United States ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom is the ambassador-at-large who heads the Office of International Religious Freedom in the U.S. Department of State. The position was created by the International Religi ...
,
Sam Brownback Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, diplomat, and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Fr ...
, lobbied the UK government on the treatment of Robinson. The
Middle East Forum The Middle East Forum (MEF) is an American conservative think tank founded in 1990 by Daniel Pipes, who serves as its president. MEF became an independent non-profit organization in 1994. It publishes a journal, the ''Middle East Quarterly''. A ...
has also lobbied the United States government and provided financial aid for rallies and legal aid. The Middle East Forum donated $50,000 to his legal defence fund.


Appeal hearing

Robinson lodged an appeal initially against the proceedings at Leeds but much later against convictions both at
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...
and
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
. The Court of Appeal agreed to hear Robinson's appeal out of time because Robinson had been held in "effective solitary confinement", which had made it difficult for Robinson to have meetings with his lawyers. The matter came before the
Lord Chief Justice Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
and two others at the Court of Appeal on 18 July 2018. Robinson said that he had not admitted the charges at Leeds nor had he been given a chance to apologise. His lawyer said that his initial contempt hearing was flawed; the details of the charge were not clear. He argued that his sentence was unfair. The court issued its ruling on 1 August 2018. In essence, the appeal against the proceedings at Canterbury failed and the appeal in respect of the Leeds' proceedings succeeded. The court analysed the differences that arise from a prison sentence for a criminal offence and those from committal to prison for contempt. Of the mistakes made at Canterbury, the Court of Appeal learnt that those representing Robinson had been aware of the procedural errors. "It lies ill in the mouth of an appellant to complain of the failure of the court below to follow the appropriate procedural steps when that failure was fully appreciated at the time and remained deliberately uncorrected for tactical reasons and collateral advantage." In respect of the Leeds contempt the court stated, "We are satisfied that the decision at Leeds Crown Court to proceed to committal to prison so promptly and without due regard for Part 48 of the Rules gave rise to unfairness. There was no clarity about what parts of the video were relied upon as amounting to contempt, what parts the appellant accepted through his counsel amounted to contempt and for what conduct he was sentenced." It was ordered that the records of the
Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...
at Canterbury and at Leeds be amended to show that Robinson had been ''committed to prison'' for contempt of court, not ''sentenced to imprisonment''. It was ordered the matter be reheard at the Old Bailey before the
Recorder of London The Recorder of London is an ancient legal office in the City of London. The Recorder of London is the senior circuit judge at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), hearing trials of criminal offences. The Recorder is appointed by the Cr ...
"as soon as reasonably possible." Robinson was released on bail.


Aftermath of imprisonment

On 2 August 2018, Robinson was interviewed on ''
Tucker Carlson Tonight ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' is an American talk show and current affairs program hosted by conservative commentator Tucker Carlson on the television network Fox News. The show premiered in November 2016 and includes political commentary, monolog ...
''. During the interview, Robinson mainly discussed his two months in prison. He said that he was initially put in
HM Prison Hull HMP Hull is a Category B men's local prison located in Kingston upon Hull in England. The term 'local' means that this prison holds people on remand to the local courts. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History Hull Pr ...
, where he was treated well. He was then transferred to
HM Prison Onley HM Prison Onley is a Category C men's prison, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. The prison is named after the lost village of Onley, which is located next to the prison. Onley Prison is in the county of Northamptonshire close to its b ...
, where, he claimed, he was severely mistreated, including with solitary confinement. The prison service rejected his claims saying, "Mr Yaxley-Lennon .e. Robinsonwas treated with the same fairness we aim to show all prisoners – he had access to visits, television and showers – and it is totally false to say he was held in 'solitary confinement, adding that he had been kept in a care and separation unit for 48 hours whilst an assessment was made of his safety. In October 2018, further controversy arose after Robinson posted a joint photo with two dozen young
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
"recruits" as he described them. He also posted on his Facebook page a video of the occasion in which the soldiers allegedly cheered him shouting his name. The British Army launched an investigation into the matter, saying, "Far-right ideology is completely at odds with the values and ethos of the armed forces. The armed forces have robust measures in place to ensure those exhibiting extremist views are neither tolerated nor permitted to serve." The Government's lead counter-extremism commissioner praised the army's response, saying, "This is typical of the far right. They manipulate and exploit their way into the mainstream, often targeting the military and co-opting its symbols. Tommy Robinson's attention-seeking is cover for divisive anti-Muslim hatred that is causing real harm to individuals, communities and society in general." Reporting restrictions were lifted on the three
Huddersfield grooming gang The Huddersfield grooming gang was a group of men who were convicted of sexual offences against girls in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. It is the largest gang ever convicted for sex abuse in the United Kingdom. The offences took pla ...
trials after the jury reached a verdict in the final trial. The ''
Yorkshire Evening Post The ''Yorkshire Evening Post'' is a daily evening publication (delivered to newsagents every morning) published by Yorkshire Post Newspapers in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The paper provides a regional slant on the day's news, and traditi ...
'' explained that it abided by the temporary restrictions because "If we had reported on the first trial then jurors may have been swayed in the second trial – a defence lawyer would argue that their clients could not get a fair hearing ... the whole trial could have collapsed ... a judge may have had to rule that they could not get a fair trial and those girls would NEVER have seen the men brought to justice". Also in October 2018, U.S. Republican Party congressman
Paul Gosar Paul Anthony Gosar ( ; born November 27, 1958) is an American far-rightMultiple sources: * * * politician and former dentist who has been the U.S. representative for since 2013. A Republican, he was elected in 2010 to represent the neighbor ...
and six other members of congress invited Robinson to speak at a private meeting at the
U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...
on 14 November 2018. The trip was to be sponsored by the
Middle East Forum The Middle East Forum (MEF) is an American conservative think tank founded in 1990 by Daniel Pipes, who serves as its president. MEF became an independent non-profit organization in 1994. It publishes a journal, the ''Middle East Quarterly''. A ...
, which said it had provided Robinson with legal funds since his imprisonment. Robinson was not granted a visa for the trip. On 23 February 2019, Robinson held a rally in MediaCityUK outside BBC's
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
, Greater Manchester offices to protest against BBC's investigative current affairs programme '' Panorama'' and its presenter John Sweeney. During the rally, Robinson launched his film ''Panodrama'' that was broadcast on a large screen to the protesters estimated to be 4000 people, showing undercover footage of Sweeney, filmed by Robinson's former aide Lucy Brown. UKIP leader Gerard Batten spoke in support during the rally. Robinson said the aim of the protest was to make a stand "against the corrupt media" and called for the BBC licence fee to be scrapped. Concurrently, about 500 people attended a counter-protest by anti-fascists. In response, the BBC made an announcement that it strongly rejects any suggestion that its journalism is biased. Confirming that an upcoming ''Panorama'' episode was being prepared to investigate Robinson and his activities, it added that all programmes the BBC broadcasts follow BBC's "strict editorial guidelines". Regarding some of Sweeney's remarks during Robinson's ''Panodrama'' film exposé, the BBC announcement added: "Some of the footage which has been released was recorded without our knowledge during this investigation and John Sweeney made some offensive and inappropriate remarks, for which he apologises." Robinson announced his plans to stand as an MEP in the 2019 European Union parliamentary elections on 23 May, for the north-west of England European Parliament constituency. Running as an independent, Robinson submitted all necessary documentation and paid the £5,000 deposit to be a candidate in the elections. Soon after announcing his run, Twitter suspended his newly established electoral campaign account, after it was reported as a new account creation by a banned user. Robinson received only 2.2% of the vote and lost his deposit as a result.


New trial

Following court hearings on 27 September and 23 October, the case was referred to the Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox QC MP. Judge Nicholas Hilliard said the matter was so complex it needed further consideration, adding "all the evidence must be rigorously tested". The referral would allow witnesses to be cross-examined. In March 2019, the attorney general decided that it was in the public interest to bring further proceedings against Robinson. A contempt conviction had been quashed by the court of appeal in August 2018 "over procedural failings" and Robinson had been freed on bail pending new proceedings at the Old Bailey. But Nicholas Hilliard, the
Recorder of London The Recorder of London is an ancient legal office in the City of London. The Recorder of London is the senior circuit judge at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), hearing trials of criminal offences. The Recorder is appointed by the Cr ...
had referred the case to the attorney general in October 2018 for further investigation. Cox acted on the referral and after further studies for five months, he decided to raise further proceedings against Robinson. He said about his action, "After carefully considering the details of this case, I have concluded there are strong grounds to bring fresh contempt of court proceedings against Stephen Yaxley-Lennon." He added, "As proceedings are now underway, it would not be appropriate to comment further and I remind everyone that it is an offence to comment on live court cases." The first hearing in this renewed case was due to take place at the High Court in London on 22 March 2019. Robinson reacted by alleging that this new procedure by the attorney general is part of "an ongoing state persecution of a journalist obinson who exposes the Kgovernment and establishment and all of their wrongs." Robinson could be sent to jail if he is found in contempt in this new trial. The preliminary hearing was later postponed "until sometime after 3 May". On 5 July 2019, Robinson was again found guilty of contempt of court at the retrial on three different grounds, including breaching the reporting restriction. Defence lawyers at the trial he was livestreaming from had applied for the jury to be discharged on the basis of having been prejudiced, within days of his video, which could have collapsed the trial, arguing:
It is inconceivable when you have 3.5 million hits on the internet that this information has not come to the attention of this jury. It is inconceivable that the jury have not been spoken to by others, whether they themselves were looking for the information matters or not.
Three days before his scheduled sentencing on 11 July, Robinson appeared on ''
The Alex Jones Show Alexander Emerick Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American far-right and alt-right radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts ''The Alex Jones Show'' from Austin, Texas, which the Genesis Communications Network broadca ...
'' on the right-wing conspiracy channel ''
Info Wars ''InfoWars'' is an American far-right conspiracy theory and fake news website owned by Alex Jones. It was founded in 1999, and operates under Free Speech Systems LLC. Talk shows and other content for the site are created primarily in studio ...
'' to appeal for political asylum in the United States, saying:
I feel like I'm two days away from being sentenced to death in the U.K. for journalism. Today, I am calling on the help of Donald Trump, his administration and the Republican Party to grant me and my family political asylum in the United States of America. ... I beg Donald Trump, I beg the American government, to look at my case. I need evacuation from this country because dark forces are at work. ... This is a direct appeal on behalf of my family – we love the United States, I have no future here
n Britain N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
The country has fallen.
Robinson said that British jails are controlled by jihadi gangs and he would be killed while in prison. Although Robinson has in the past been refused entry to the US, and was jailed in 2012 for using a friend's passport to enter the country, in October 2018 he was invited by Congressional Republicans to speak in Washington, but could not obtain a visa in time. President Trump's ambassador for international religious freedom, the former Senator
Sam Brownback Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, diplomat, and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Fr ...
raised the issue of Robinson's imprisonment with the British government in 2018, and the president's son,
Donald Trump Jr. Donald John Trump Jr. (born December 31, 1977) is an American political activist, businessman, author, and former television presenter. He is the eldest child of Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, and his firs ...
has in the past tweeted in Robinson's support. On 11 July 2019, Robinson was jailed for nine months at the Old Bailey. He described the sentence as an "absolute joke" and called for protests. Outside the court, some of his supporters booed and a crowd marched towards the building chanting "we want Tommy out"; some began pelting police with bottles and cans. Robinson had already served 69 days and would be required to serve about another ten weeks. On 13 September 2019, Robinson was released from prison after serving nine weeks.Busby, Matta (13 September 2019
"Tommy Robinson released from jail after nine weeks"
''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' Several days later, he said that he had spoken to Julian Assange in prison, and announced that he supported him.


Other criminal convictions

Robinson's criminal record also includes convictions for violence, financial and immigration frauds, drug possession, and public order offences. He had previously served at least three separate custodial sentences: in 2005 for assault, in 2012 for using false travel documents, and in 2014 for mortgage fraud.


Assault

In April 2005 at Luton Crown Court, Robinson was convicted of
assault occasioning actual bodily harm Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (often abbreviated to Assault OABH, AOABH or simply ABH) is a statutory offence of aggravated assault in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Hong Kong an ...
and
assault with intent to resist arrest Assault with intent to resist arrest is a statutory offence of aggravated assault in England and Wales and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. England and Wales This offence is created by section 38 of the Offences against the Person ...
against an off-duty police officer in July 2004. The officer had intervened in an argument in the street between Robinson and his then girlfriend, Jenna Vowles. In the struggle that followed, Robinson kicked the officer in the head as he laid on the ground. Robinson received sentences of 12 months and 3 months, which were served concurrently. In September 2011, at Preston Magistrates' Court, Robinson was convicted of assault for headbutting a man in Blackburn on 2 April 2011. In November 2011, he was given a 12-week jail term, suspended for 12 months.


Public order offence

In July 2011, at Luton and South Bedfordshire Magistrates' Court, Robinson was convicted of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, for leading a group of
Luton Town F.C. Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
supporters into a brawl involving 100 people in Luton on 24 August 2010. He was sentenced to a 12-month community rehabilitation order, 150 hours of unpaid work and given a three-year football banning order.


False passport

In October 2012, Robinson was arrested and held on the charge of having entered the United States illegally. Robinson pleaded guilty at
Southwark Crown Court The Crown Court at Southwark, commonly but inaccurately called Southwark Crown Court, is one of two locations of the Crown Court in the London SE1 postcode area, along with the Crown Court at Inner London. Opened in 1983, the brick building is ...
to using someone else's passport to travel to the United States in September 2012, and was sentenced in January 2013 to 10 months' imprisonment. Robinson had used a passport in the name of Andrew McMaster to board a Virgin Atlantic flight from Heathrow to New York. He had been banned from entering the US due to his criminal record. When he arrived at New York's JFK Airport, customs officials who took his fingerprints realised he was not McMaster. He was asked to attend a second interview but left the airport, entering the US illegally. He stayed one night and returned to the UK the following day using his own legitimate passport – which bears the name Paul Harris. Judge Alistair McCreath told him: "What you did went absolutely to the heart of the immigration controls that the United States are entitled to have. It's not in any sense trivial." He was released on
electronic tag Electronic tagging is a form of surveillance that uses an electronic device affixed to a person. In some jurisdictions, an electronic tag fitted above the ankle is used for people as part of their bail or probation conditions. It is also used i ...
on 22 February 2013.


Mortgage fraud

In November 2012, Robinson was charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by misrepresentation in relation to a mortgage application, along with five other defendants. He pleaded guilty to two charges and in January 2014 was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. Robinson's fraud amounted to £160,000 over a period of six months. Judge Andrew Bright QC described him as the "instigator, if not the architect" of a series of frauds totalling £640,000. "This was an operation which was fraudulent from the outset and involved a significant amount of forward planning." He described Robinson as a "fixer" who had introduced others to fraudulent mortgage broker Deborah Rothschild. Rothschild had assisted some defendants by providing fake pay slips and income details. Robinson was attacked by several fellow prisoners in
HM Prison Woodhill HM Prison Woodhill is a Category A male prison, located in Milton Keynes, England. Woodhill Prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. A section of the prison is designated as a Young Offenders Institution. A Secure Training Centre ...
. Following news of the attack,
Maajid Nawaz Maajid Usman Nawaz (; born 2 November 1977) is a British activist and former radio presenter. He was the founding chairman of Quilliam. Until January 2022, he was the host of an LBC radio show on Saturdays and Sundays. Born in Southend-on-Sea ...
wrote to the
Secretary of State for Justice The secretary of state for justice, also referred to as the justice secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Ministry of Justice. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the Un ...
,
Chris Grayling Christopher Stephen Grayling (born 1 April 1962) is a British Conservative Party politician and author who served as Secretary of State for Transport from 2016 to 2019. He has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Epsom and Ewell since 2001. ...
, asking for Robinson's situation to be urgently addressed. Shortly after this incident, Robinson was moved to
HM Prison Winchester HM Prison Winchester is a Category B men's prison, located in Winchester, Hampshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History There has probably been a prison in Winchester, mainly known as Winchester gaol, sinc ...
. Robinson told
Jamie Bartlett James Bartlett (9 July 1966 – 23 May 2022) was a British-born South African actor best known for his role as the wicked puppet master, David Genaro, in '' Rhythm City'' and his theatre work. Career Television Bartlett was a well-known South ...
, a director of the think tank Demos: "In Woodhill, I experienced Islam the gang. ..In Winchester, I have experienced Islam the religion." Robinson made friends with several Muslim prisoners, referring to them as "great lads ..I cannot speak highly enough of the Muslim inmates I'm now living with". In June 2014, Robinson was released on licence. The terms of his early release included having no contact with the EDL until the end of his original sentence in June 2015. He was due to talk to the
Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest ...
in October 2014, but was recalled to prison before the event for breaching the terms of his licence. He was ultimately released on 14 November 2014.


Stalking

On 17 January 2021, after 10pm, Robinson went to the home of Lizzie Dearden, a journalist with ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', and her partner, after Dearden asked for his comment for a story she was writing, about allegations that he had misused financial donations from his supporters. He falsely accused the partner of being a
paedophile Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty a ...
, and threatened to return nightly. He was duly arrested over the incident. He further published photographs of the journalist's partner on his Telegram channel stating that "serious allegations" had been made about him. It was alleged he threatened the couple in an attempt to prevent the article from being published. Dearden's article was published on 18 March 2021. On 19 March, Robinson was issued with an interim stalking ban order. On 13 October 2021, Robinson was convicted at
Westminster Magistrates' Court Westminster Magistrates' Court is a magistrates' court at 181 Marylebone Road, London. The Chief Magistrate of England and Wales, who is the Senior District Judge of England and Wales, sits at the court, and all extradition and terrorism-rela ...
of stalking the couple, and was given a five-year ban from contacting them or referring to them.


Bankruptcy

Before incurring an estimated £1.6 million in costs following the libel trial, Robinson filed for
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
in March 2021, using the name Stephen Christopher Lennon. The
official receiver An officer of the Insolvency Service of the United Kingdom, an official receiver (OR) is an officer of the court to which they are attached. The OR is answerable to the courts for carrying out the courts' orders and for fulfilling their duties ...
was searching for concealed assets, including any which had been put into other people's names. Former employees have raised questions as to what happened to money raised to support him. He denies misusing funds. In January 2022, people owed money by Robinson (including the libeled schoolboy, the boy's lawyers,
HMRC , patch = , patchcaption = , logo = HM Revenue & Customs.svg , logocaption = , badge = , badgecaption = , flag = , flagcaption = , image_size = , co ...
, a former business partner and the
Borough of Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a local government district with borough status in Cumbria, England. It is named after its main town, Barrow-in-Furness. Other settlements include Dalton-in-Furness and Askam-in-Furness. It is the smallest district in the ...
) appointed an independent
insolvency In accounting, insolvency is the state of being unable to pay the debts, by a person or company ( debtor), at maturity; those in a state of insolvency are said to be ''insolvent''. There are two forms: cash-flow insolvency and balance-sheet i ...
expert in an attempt to recover their money before the deadline for claims in March 2022.


Personal life

Robinson married Jenna Vowles in 2011 and is the father of three children. The couple later divorced in February 2021. Before he was arrested in 2003, he was an apprentice aircraft engineer at Luton Airport. Around 2010, he owned a
tanning salon Indoor tanning involves using a device that emits ultraviolet radiation to produce a cosmetic tan. Typically found in tanning salons, gyms, spas, hotels, and sporting facilities, and less often in private residences, the most common device is a ho ...
in
Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...
.


References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson Explains The Making Of An Alter-Ego Even His Wife Can't Stand , first=Steven, last=Hopkins, url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/12/10/stephen-yaxley-lennon-describes-the-making-of-tommy-robinson_n_8747794.html, work=Huffington Post UK, date=10 December 2015, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211044804/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/12/10/stephen-yaxley-lennon-describes-the-making-of-tommy-robinson_n_8747794.html, archive-date=11 December 2015, quote=After high school Robinson got an apprenticeship to study aircraft engineering at Luton Airport, but shortly after qualifying he was jailed for a year for assaulting an off-duty policeman... The officer had come to the rescue of Robinson's then girlfriend... The couple were “drunk arguing” at 3am. The cop wanted to walk Robinson’s girlfriend home. Robinson: 'I was being heated, and arguing, but I've never, ever, ever, ever, ever assaulted my missus and my wife. So I'm like, "fuck off man, what-you-talking-about".' At that point Robinson said the officer 'rugby tackled him' to the floor. 'I'm a young 23, 21-year-old lad and I'm pissed up, like to fight, and we're fighting, so I started fighting him, and when he's gone down to the floor.' Speaking in a low-voice now: 'I've kicked him in the head.' {{cite news, url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/who-is-tommy-robinson-the-former-edl-leader-and-right-wing-figurehead-1-4830451, title=Who is Tommy Robinson? The former EDL leader and right-wing figurehead, work=The Scotsman, date=15 November 2018, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115143111/https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/who-is-tommy-robinson-the-former-edl-leader-and-right-wing-figurehead-1-4830451, archive-date=15 November 2018 {{cite news, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/08/met-police-fear-violent-clashes-march-far-right-brexit-betrayal/, title=Met police fear violent clashes over march by far-right 'Brexit Betrayal' militants, work=The Telegraph, date=8 December 2018, first=Patrick, last=Sawer, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208113920/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/08/met-police-fear-violent-clashes-march-far-right-brexit-betrayal/, archive-date=8 December 2018, quote=Robinson, a former member of the extremist British National Party, is a convicted fraudster and football hooligan who was also jailed for 12 months for assaulting an off-duty police officer in 2005. {{cite web, url=https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/qvy4k3/far-right-provocateurs-dont-deserve-the-redemption-theyre-being-offered, first=Simon, last=Chikls, title=Far-Right Provocateurs Don't Deserve the Redemption They're Being Offered, date=22 January 2019, website=Vice, access-date=7 December 2019 {{Cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-14278957, title=EDL founder Stephen Lennon guilty over football brawl, publisher=BBC, work=BBC News, date=25 July 2011, access-date=3 September 2011, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725170948/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-14278957, archive-date=25 July 2011 {{cite web, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/jul/25/english-defence-league-founder-brawl, title=English Defence League founder convicted of leading street brawl, date=25 July 2011, website=Theguardian.com *{{cite news, url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/english-defence-league-thug-convicted-1823358, title=English Defence League thug convicted for Newport County fight, work=WalesOnline, date=25 July 2011 {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-15117961, work=BBC News, title=EDL leader Stephen Lennon convicted of assault, date=29 September 2011, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002134210/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-15117961, archive-date=2 October 2011 {{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/nov/03/edl-leader-sentenced-headbutt, work=The Guardian, title=EDL leader sentenced for headbutting fellow protester, date=3 November 2011, location=London, UK, first=Helen, last=Carter, url-status=live , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705022443/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/nov/03/edl-leader-sentenced-headbutt, archive-date=5 July 2017 *{{cite news, url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/9279888.edl-leader-facing-jail-after-assault-in-blackburn/, title=EDL leader facing jail after assault in Blackburn, newspaper=
Lancashire Telegraph The ''Lancashire Telegraph'', formerly the ''Lancashire Evening Telegraph'', is a local tabloid newspaper distributed in East Lancashire, England. It is edited by Karl Holbrook. There are around twenty towns in the area, including Blackburn, B ...
, access-date=13 February 2019 *{{cite news , title=EDL leader convicted of assault , url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-15117961 , date=29 September 2011 *{{cite news, url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/edl-leader-stephen-lennon-asbo-bid-rejected-6256699.html, title=EDL leader Stephen Lennon Asbo bid rejected, date=3 November 2011, newspaper=
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
 {{cite news, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-prison-jailed-why-contempt-court-grooming-gangs-muslim-protest-a8472566.html, title=Why Tommy Robinson could find himself in jail again, date=1 August 2018, newspaper=
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
, access-date=13 February 2019 {{cite news, url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/edl-leader-stephen-lennon-jailed-for-passport-fraud-8441502.html, title=EDL leader Stephen Lennon jailed for passport fraud, newspaper=
London Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
, date=7 January 2013, access-date=17 July 2018 {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20935502, title=EDL leader Stephen Lennon jailed for false passport offence, date=7 January 2013, access-date=17 July 2018, work=BBC News, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409025554/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20935502, archive-date=9 April 2017 *{{cite news , title=EDL leader jailed for being illegal immigrant after entering US on friend's passport , url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9785724/EDL-leader-jailed-for-being-illegal-immigrant-after-entering-US-on-friends-passport.html , archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9785724/EDL-leader-jailed-for-being-illegal-immigrant-after-entering-US-on-friends-passport.html , archive-date=12 January 2022 , url-access=subscription , url-status=live , work=Daily Telegraph, first=Julian , last=Simmonds , access-date=11 November 2018 , date=7 January 2013{{cbignore {{cite news, url=http://news.sky.com/story/1034468/edl-leader-lennon-jailed-for-passport-offence, title=EDL leader Lennon jailed for passport offence, date=7 January 2013, access-date=20 October 2013, work=Sky News, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313170714/http://news.sky.com/story/1034468/edl-leader-lennon-jailed-for-passport-offence, archive-date=13 March 2013, url-status=dead {{cite news, title=EDL founder Stephen Yaxley-Lennon admits mortgage fraud, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25110639, access-date=25 January 2014, work=BBC News, date=26 November 2013, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140205015226/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25110639, archive-date=5 February 2014 {{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson, former EDL leader, jailed for fraud, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25862838, access-date=26 October 2018, work=BBC News, date=23 January 2014, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140123173415/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25862838, archive-date=23 January 2014 {{cite news, url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/16/tommy-robinson-bnp-edl-andrew-neil_n_3449252.html, title=EDL's Tommy Robinson Admits Real Name Is Stephen Yaxley, Was In BNP To Andrew Neil On Sunday Politics, first=Jessica, last=Elgot, date=16 June 2013, access-date=20 October 2013, work=The Huffington Post (UK), url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020210751/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/16/tommy-robinson-bnp-edl-andrew-neil_n_3449252.html, archive-date=20 October 2013 {{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson; The Three Boys. Drunk Driving or a police cover up?, date=28 May 2018, first=Jane, last=Kelly, url=http://www.salisburyreview.com/articles/tommy-robinson-the-three-boys-drunk-driving-or-a-police-cover-up/, work=Salisbury Review *{{cite web, url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-uk-far-right-figure-tommy-robinson-jailed-for-contempt-2018-5/?IR=T, title=UK far-right figure Tommy Robinson jailed for contempt, work=
Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
, date=29 May 2018, access-date=15 June 2018, archive-url=https://archive.today/20180615070645/http://uk.businessinsider.com/ap-uk-far-right-figure-tommy-robinson-jailed-for-contempt-2018-5/?IR=T, archive-date=15 June 2018, url-status=live *{{cite web, url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-bc-eu--britain-far-right-20190226-story.html, title=Facebook erases far-right activist's page, Instagram profile, work=
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
, date=26 February 2019, access-date=8 March 2019 *{{cite web, url=http://www.theweek.co.uk/94132/morrissey-defends-tommy-robinson-and-new-far-right-party, title=Morrissey defends Tommy Robinson and new far-right party, work=
The Week ''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's ed ...
, date=7 June 2018, access-date=15 June 2018, archive-url=https://archive.today/20180615071038/http://www.theweek.co.uk/94132/morrissey-defends-tommy-robinson-and-new-far-right-party, archive-date=15 June 2018, url-status=live *{{cite web, url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/far-right-provocateur-tommy-robinson-jailed-over-court-rant-9kgwggssz, title=Far-right provocateur Tommy Robinson jailed over court rant, first=Fiona, last=Hamilton, work=
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
, date=30 May 2018, access-date=15 June 2018, archive-url=https://archive.today/20180615071936/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/far-right-provocateur-tommy-robinson-jailed-over-court-rant-9kgwggssz, archive-date=15 June 2018, url-status=live *{{cite news, url=http://time.com/5294192/tommy-robinson-jailed-trial-roseanne-barr/, title=Why Tommy Robinson Was Jailed, and Why U.S. Rightwingers Care, magazine=
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
, date=29 May 2018, first=Siobhan, last=Morrin, access-date=15 June 2018, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615072647/http://time.com/5294192/tommy-robinson-jailed-trial-roseanne-barr/, archive-date=15 June 2018, url-status=live *{{cite web, url=http://www.newsweek.com/why-was-tommy-robinson-arrested-far-right-activist-jailed-13-months-947525, title=WHY WAS TOMMY ROBINSON ARRESTED? FAR-RIGHT ACTIVIST JAILED FOR 13 MONTHS FOR 'PREJUDICING RAPE TRIAL', work=
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
, date=29 May 2018, first=Ewan, last=Palmer, access-date=15 June 2018, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615073021/http://www.newsweek.com/why-was-tommy-robinson-arrested-far-right-activist-jailed-13-months-947525, archive-date=15 June 2018, url-status=live {{cite web, url=http://www.radicalism-new-media.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/The_EDL_Britains_New_Far_Right_Social_Movement.pdf, title=The EDL – Britain's Far Right Social Movement, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121031539/http://www.radicalism-new-media.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/The_EDL_Britains_New_Far_Right_Social_Movement.pdf, archive-date=21 January 2012, publisher=Radicalism and New Media Research Group,
University of Northampton The University of Northampton is a public university based in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. It was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of a number of training colleges, and gained full university status as the University of Northampton in ...
, 22 September 2011, access-date=2 February 2012 {{cite news, last1=Bartlett, first1=Jamie, title=Across Europe with Tommy Robinson: inside the new wave of anti-immigration protest coming soon to Britain, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/12031679/Across-Europe-with-Tommy-Robinson-inside-the-new-wave-of-anti-immigration-protest-coming-soon-to-Britain.html, access-date=5 December 2015, work=The Daily Telegraph, date=4 December 2015 , url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151205111400/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/12031679/Across-Europe-with-Tommy-Robinson-inside-the-new-wave-of-anti-immigration-protest-coming-soon-to-Britain.html, archive-date=5 December 2015 {{cite news, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-jailed-contempt-court-facebook-live-video-stephen-yaxley-lennon-a8374121.html, title=Tommy Robinson jailed after breaking contempt of court laws with Facebook Live video, last=Dearden, first=Lizzie, date=29 May 2018, work=The Independent, access-date=29 May 2018 {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22936706, work=BBC News, title=Robinson: I have to live a two-tier life, date=17 June 2013, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911153924/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22936706, archive-date=11 September 2013 {{cite AV media , people =
Victoria Derbyshire Victoria Antoinette Derbyshire is a British journalist, newsreader and broadcaster. Her eponymous current affairs and debate programme was broadcast on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel from 2015 until March 2020. She has also presented ''News ...
(host), Tommy Robinson (guest) , date = 4 January 2010 , title= Interview with Tommy Robinson , medium= Audio , series =
Victoria Derbyshire Victoria Antoinette Derbyshire is a British journalist, newsreader and broadcaster. Her eponymous current affairs and debate programme was broadcast on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel from 2015 until March 2020. She has also presented ''News ...
, work= BBC Radio 5 Live {{cite news, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10389954/Who-is-the-real-Tommy-Robinson.html, title=Who is the real Tommy Robinson?, work=
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
, date=18 October 2013, access-date=20 October 2013, last=Rowland Hill, first=Matt, location=London, UK, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018224858/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10389954/Who-is-the-real-Tommy-Robinson.html, archive-date=18 October 2013 {{cite news, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/what-we-re-really-against-is-extremism-the-complex-world-of-former-edl-leader-tommy-robinson-8867256.html, work=The Independent, title='What we're really against is extremism...': The complex world of former EDL leader Tommy Robinson revealed, date=8 October 2013, first=Eric, last=Randolph, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001214204/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/what-we-re-really-against-is-extremism-the-complex-world-of-former-edl-leader-tommy-robinson-8867256.html, archive-date=1 October 2015, access-date=18 February 2019 {{cite web, first=Nigel, last=Copsey, url=http://faith-matters.org/images/stories/fm-reports/english-defense-league-report.pdf, title=The English Defence League: Challenging our Country and our Values of Social Inclusion, Fairness and Equality, publisher=
Faith Matters Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...
, pages=13–14, year=2010 {{cite news, url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8303786.stm, work=BBC News, title=Under the skin of English Defence League, date=12 October 2009 {{cite news, url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8250017.stm, title=Who are the English Defence League?, last=Casciani, first=Dominic, work=BBC News magazine, date=11 September 2009 , access-date=17 November 2017 *{{cite news, url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8266933.stm, title=Is far-right extremism a threat?, author=Urry, Allan, work=BBC News Online, date=22 September 2009 {{cite news , url=http://telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4976105/Luton-parade-protesters-were-members-of-extremist-group.html , title=Luton parade protesters 'were members of extremist group' , date=12 March 2009 , newspaper=The Daily Telegraph , location=London, UK , url-status=live , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315075012/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4976105/Luton-parade-protesters-were-members-of-extremist-group.html , archive-date=15 March 2009 {{cite news, last=Murray, first=Douglas, title=Tommy Robinson: Double standards, not fear of diversity, provoked the EDL, url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9055961/extreme-measures-2/, access-date=17 October 2013, newspaper=
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...
, date=19 October 2013, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017081513/http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9055961/extreme-measures-2/, archive-date=17 October 2013 {{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/08/tommy-robinson-english-defence-league, title=Tommy Robinson quits EDL saying it has become 'too extreme', work=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, access-date=8 October 2013, last=Siddique, first=Haroon, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008100824/http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/08/tommy-robinson-english-defence-league, archive-date=8 October 2013 {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24554284, title=Ex-EDL leaders Tommy Robinson and Kevin Carroll cleared, work=
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
, date=16 October 2013 {{cite news, url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/english-defence-league-edl-tommy-robinson-quit-512216, title=EDL's Tommy Robinson Quits over 'Dangerous Far-Right Extremists', work=International Business Times, date=1 July 2014, first=Dominic, last=Gover {{cite news, url=http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/local/edl_leader_in_lay_by_attack_1_3371382, work=Luton Today, title=EDL leader in lay-by attack, date=28 December 2011, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103105023/http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/local/edl_leader_in_lay_by_attack_1_3371382, archive-date=3 January 2012 {{cite news , url=http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/local/edl_leader_on_hunger_strike_in_custody_1_3028437 , newspaper=Luton Today , title=EDL leader 'on hunger strike' in custody , date=5 September 2011 , access-date=6 September 2011 , url-status=live , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011154930/http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/local/edl_leader_on_hunger_strike_in_custody_1_3028437 , archive-date=11 October 2011 {{cite news, url=http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/local/bedford/edl_tommy_released_from_prison_in_bedford_and_on_bail_for_assault_1_3054299, title=EDL 'Tommy' released from prison in Bedford and on bail for assault, work=Bedford Today, date=14 September 2011, access-date=4 January 2012 {{cite news , url=http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/News/EDL-members-protest-outside-prison-07092011.htm, work=Bedfordshire Local News, title=EDL members protest outside prison, date=7 September 2011, access-date=11 September 2011, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529043526/http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/News/EDL-members-protest-outside-prison-07092011.htm, archive-date=29 May 2013 *{{cite news, url=http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/videos/video_edl_members_hold_prison_protest_1_3034025, work=Luton Today, title=VIDEO: EDL members hold prison protest, date=8 September 2011, access-date=11 September 2011, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111010112125/http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/videos/video_edl_members_hold_prison_protest_1_3034025, archive-date=10 October 2011 *{{cite news , url=http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/News/Protesters-campaign-for-release-of-EDL-leader-10092011.htm, title=EDL steps up prison protest , access-date=11 September 2011, work=Bedfordshire Local News, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114063357/http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/News/Protesters-campaign-for-release-of-EDL-leader-10092011.htm, archive-date=14 November 2012 {{cite news, url=http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/News/Bail-term-threat-of-EDL-top-boss-16092011.htm, title=Bail term threat of EDL top boss, date=18 September 2011, access-date=19 September 2011, work=Bedfordshire Local News , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102075033/http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/News/Bail-term-threat-of-EDL-top-boss-16092011.htm, archive-date=2 November 2013 {{cite news, url=http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/local/edl_members_fined_over_rooftop_protest_1_3252965, title=EDL members fined over rooftop protest, date=16 November 2011, access-date=4 January 2012, work=Luton Today, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111220084553/http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/local/edl_members_fined_over_rooftop_protest_1_3252965, archive-date=20 December 2011 {{cite news, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/english-defence-league-prepares-to-storm-local-elections-6267740.html, newspaper=
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
, title=English Defence League prepares to storm local elections, author=Kevin Rawlinson, date=25 November 2011, access-date=13 December 2011, location=London, UK, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111213215641/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/english-defence-league-prepares-to-storm-local-elections-6267740.html, archive-date=13 December 2011 {{cite web, website=British Freedom Party , url=http://britishfreedom.org/tommy-robinson-steps-down-from-party-to-devote-all-his-energy-to-edl , title=Tommy Robinson steps down from party to devote all his energy to EDL , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021003540/http://britishfreedom.org/tommy-robinson-steps-down-from-party-to-devote-all-his-energy-to-edl, archive-date=21 October 2012 {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24442953, title=EDL leader Tommy Robinson quits group, work=
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
, date=8 October 2013, access-date=8 October 2013, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008100942/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24442953, archive-date=8 October 2013 {{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/11/edl-tommy-robinson-sorry-fear-muslims, title=Ex-EDL leader Tommy Robinson says sorry for causing fear to Muslims, work=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, date=11 October 2013, access-date=29 October 2013, last=Malik, first=Shiv, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020180624/http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/11/edl-tommy-robinson-sorry-fear-muslims, archive-date=20 October 2013 {{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/19/my-journey-with-edl-tommy-robinson, title=My 18 months with former EDL leader Tommy Robinson, work=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, date=19 October 2013, access-date=20 October 2013, last=Ansar, first=Mohammed, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020043221/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/19/my-journey-with-edl-tommy-robinson, archive-date=20 October 2013 {{cite web, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2013/when-tommy-met-mo, title=BBC One to broadcast documentary on Tommy Robinson's departure from English Defence League, date=23 October 2013, author=Sally Kent, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223010921/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2013/when-tommy-met-mo, archive-date=23 February 2019, access-date=23 February 2019 {{cite news, last1=Wfirst1=Paul, title=Pegida UK: Tommy Robinson says 'terrorist epicentre' of Birmingham will be location of far-right march, url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/pegida-uk-tommy-robinson-says-terrorist-epicentre-birmingham-will-be-location-far-right-march-1531890, access-date=4 January 2016, work=International Business Times, date=4 December 2015, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212220303/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/pegida-uk-tommy-robinson-says-terrorist-epicentre-birmingham-will-be-location-far-right-march-1531890, archive-date=12 December 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/12/03/tommy-robinson-claims-quilliam-paid-him-to-leave-edl_n_8710834.html, title=Tommy Robinson, Former EDL Leader, Claims Quilliam Paid Him To Quit Far-Right Group, date=4 December 2015, author=Steven Hopkins, website=Huffington Post UK, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016004510/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/12/03/tommy-robinson-claims-quilliam-paid-him-to-leave-edl_n_8710834.html, archive-date=16 October 2016 {{cite news, title=EDL founder Tommy Robinson speaks at the Oxford Union, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-30224738, access-date=9 January 2015, newspaper=BBC News, date=27 November 2014, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112065249/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-30224738, archive-date=12 January 2015 {{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson Speaks At Oxford University Union: Fear Has Paralysed The Police, url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/11/27/tommy-robinson-speaks-at-oxford-university-union_n_6230288.html, last=Sherriff, first=Lucy, access-date=9 January 2015, newspaper=Huffington Post, date=27 November 2014, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231141621/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/11/27/tommy-robinson-speaks-at-oxford-university-union_n_6230288.html, archive-date=31 December 2014 {{cite news, first=Cahal , last=Milmo , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/edl-founder-tommy-robinson-addresses-pegida-anti-islam-rally-in-holland-a6691406.html , title=EDL founder Tommy Robinson addresses Pegida anti-Islam rally in Holland , url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223044403/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/edl-founder-tommy-robinson-addresses-pegida-anti-islam-rally-in-holland-a6691406.html , archive-date=23 December 2017 , work=The Independent , date=12 October 2015 *{{cite news, first=Matthew , last=Goodwin , url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/19/islamophobia-government-engagement-muslims-anti-hatred-taskforce , title=The fight against Islamophobia is going backwards , url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728204407/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/19/islamophobia-government-engagement-muslims-anti-hatred-taskforce , archive-date=28 July 2017 , work=The Guardian , date=19 October 2015 {{cite news, first=Steven , last=Hopkins , url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/02/15/tommy-robinson-hospitalised-_n_9237414.html , title=Tommy Robinson Hospitalised After Being Attacked Outside Essex Nightclub, Days After Pegida Rally , url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216014637/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/02/15/tommy-robinson-hospitalised-_n_9237414.html , archive-date=16 February 2016 , work=Huffington Post UK , date=15 February 2016 {{cite book , last = Robinson , first = Tommy , title = Enemy of the State , publisher = The Press News Ltd , location = Batley, West Yorkshire, England , year = 2015 , isbn = 978-0-9570964-9-3 {{cite news, last1=Bartlett, first1=Jamie, title=What's it like to be Britain's most hated man? Ask Tommy Robinson, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/12140524/What-happens-if-you-express-a-negative-view-of-Islam-Ask-Tommy-Robinson.html, work=Daily Telegraph, date=4 February 2016, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414231813/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/12140524/What-happens-if-you-express-a-negative-view-of-Islam-Ask-Tommy-Robinson.html, archive-date=14 April 2018 {{cite news, title=Ex-EDL leader Tommy Robinson wins football ban court case against Bedfordshire police, url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ex-edl-leader-tommy-robinson-wins-football-ban-court-case-against-bedfordshire-police-1582177, access-date=20 September 2016, work=International Business Times, date=19 September 2016, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920041018/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ex-edl-leader-tommy-robinson-wins-football-ban-court-case-against-bedfordshire-police-1582177, archive-date=20 September 2016 *{{cite news, url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/edls-tommy-robinson-wins-court-case-against-bedfordshire-police-over-football-banning-order_uk_57dff718e4b0d584f7f1fcb1, title=Tommy Robinson Wins Court Case Against Bedfordshire Police Over Football Banning Order, work=Huffington Post, date=19 September 2016, first=Jack, last=Sommers, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916074457/https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/edls-tommy-robinson-wins-court-case-against-bedfordshire-police-over-football-banning-order_uk_57dff718e4b0d584f7f1fcb1, archive-date=16 September 2018, access-date=23 February 2019 {{cite news, first=Raymond , last=Brown , url=http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/ex-edl-leader-tommy-robinson-s-cambridge-pub-incident-claims-police-boss-defends-officers/story-29676276-detail/story.html , title=Ex-EDL leader Tommy Robinson's Cambridge pub incident – police boss defends officers , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903175509/http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/ex-edl-leader-tommy-robinson-s-cambridge-pub-incident-claims-police-boss-defends-officers/story-29676276-detail/story.html , archive-date=3 September 2016 , work=Cambridge News , date=1 September 2016 {{cite news, url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/former-edl-leader-tommy-robinson-arrested-after-trying-to-film-muslims-outside-court-a3535566.html, title=Former EDL leader Tommy Robinson arrested after 'trying to film Muslims' outside court , last= Grafton-Green , first= Patrick, work=London Evening Standard, date=10 May 2017 , url-status=live , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230231618/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/former-edl-leader-tommy-robinson-arrested-after-trying-to-film-muslims-outside-court-a3535566.html, archive-date=30 December 2017 {{cite news, url=http://www.kentlive.news/far-right-activist-tommy-robinson-was-warned-by-police-after-turning-up-at-canterbury-crown-court/story-30319870-detail/story.html, title=Far right activist Tommy Robinson was warned by police after turning up at Canterbury Crown Court, last=Castle, first=Vicky , work=Kent Live, publisher= Trinity Mirror, date=8 May 2017, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170508195005/http://www.kentlive.news/far-right-activist-tommy-robinson-was-warned-by-police-after-turning-up-at-canterbury-crown-court/story-30319870-detail/story.html, archive-date=8 May 2017 {{cite book , last1 = McLoughlin , first1 = Peter , last2 = Robinson , first2 = Tommy , title = Mohammed's Koran: Why Muslims Kill For Islam , publisher = self published , year = 2017 , isbn = 978-1-5426-2780-1 {{cite news , title=Tommy Robinson Book Removed From Amazon, Just Days After Facebook Account Disabled , work=Huffpost , date=28 February 2019 , first=Isabel, last=Togoh , url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/amazon-bans-sale-of-tommy-robinson-book-one-day-after-he-was-removed-from-facebook_uk_5c768407e4b08c4f5555f501 {{cite news , last= Wilford , first= Greg , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tommy-robinson-edl-leader-ascot-brawl-fight-muslim-islamophobia-piers-morgan-a7807341.html, title=Former EDL leader Tommy Robinson filmed brawling with man at Ascot, work=The Independent, date=25 June 2017, access-date=10 August 2017, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810212033/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tommy-robinson-edl-leader-ascot-brawl-fight-muslim-islamophobia-piers-morgan-a7807341.html, archive-date=10 August 2017 {{cite news, work=The Guardian, date=28 March 2018, first=Kevin, last=Rawlinson, title=Tommy Robinson permanently banned by Twitter, url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/28/tommy-robinson-permanently-banned-twitter-violating-rules-hateful-conduct {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-43478925, title=Man guilty of hate crime for filming pug's 'Nazi salutes', date=20 March 2018, work=
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
 {{cite news, url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/youtuber-count-dankula-found-guilty-of-hate-crime-for-teaching-pet-pug-nazi-salute-a3794926.html, title=Count Dankula found guilty of hate crime after teaching pet pug 'Nazi salute', date=20 March 2018 {{cite news, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-darren-osborne-messages-finsbury-park-attack-mosque-van-latest-court-trial-muslims-a8174086.html, title=Finsbury Park terror suspect Darren Osborne read messages from Tommy Robinson days before attack, court hears, first=Lizzie, last=Dearden, date=23 January 2018, work=
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
 {{cite news , last = Molloy , first = Mark , url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/19/former-edl-leader-tommy-robinson-condemned-finsbury-park-mosque , title=Former EDL leader Tommy Robinson condemned over Finsbury Park mosque comments , newspaper=The Daily Telegraph , date=19 June 2017 , url-status=live , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503060832/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/19/former-edl-leader-tommy-robinson-condemned-finsbury-park-mosque/ , archive-date=3 May 2018 {{cite news , last=Ruddick , first= Graham , title = ITV defends EDL founder's appearance on Good Morning Britain , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170621194712/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jun/20/itv-defends-edl-founder-tommy-robinson-appearance-good-morning-britain , archive-date=21 June 2017 , url = https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jun/20/itv-defends-edl-founder-tommy-robinson-appearance-good-morning-britain , work = The Guardian , date = 20 June 2017 *{{cite news, last = Osborne , first = Samuel , title= Finsbury Park mosque attack: EDL founder Tommy Robinson's appearance on Good Morning Britain sparks outrage , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027040337/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/finsbury-park-mosque-attack-latest-tommy-robinson-edl-good-morning-britain-interview-islamophobia-a7798406.html , archive-date= 27 October 2017 , url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/finsbury-park-mosque-attack-latest-tommy-robinson-edl-good-morning-britain-interview-islamophobia-a7798406.html , work = The Independent , date= 20 June 2017 *{{cite news , last1= Horton , first1= Helena , last2= Boyle , first2= Danny , title= 'You're stirring up hatred like a bigoted lunatic': Piers Morgan in extraordinary row with ex-EDL leader Tommy Robinson , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180508085716/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/20/stirring-hatred-piers-morgan-rows-edl-leader-tommy-robinson/ , archive-date= 8 May 2018 , url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/20/stirring-hatred-piers-morgan-rows-edl-leader-tommy-robinson/ , work = The Daily Telegraph , date= 20 June 2017 {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42910051, date=1 February 2018, title=Darren Osborne guilty of Finsbury Park mosque murder, work=
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
*{{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/01/finsbury-park-van-attacker-darren-osborne-found-guilty-murder-makram-ali, first1=Vikram, last1=Dodd, first2=Kevin, last2=Rawlinson, date=1 February 2018, title=Finsbury Park attack: man 'brainwashed by anti-Muslim propaganda' convicted, work=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
 {{cite news, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/finsbury-park-terror-attack-tommy-robinson-far-right-britain-first-mark-rowley-speech-police-a8229936.html, first=Lizzie, last=Dearden, date=26 February 2018, title=Finsbury Park attacker turned violent by far-right posts from Tommy Robinson and Britain First, police say, work=
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
 {{cite news, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-counter-terrorism-find-uk-islamophobia-racist-edl-a8231286.html, first=Harriet, last=Agerholm, date=27 February 2018, title=Tommy Robinson threatens to 'find' UK's most senior counter terrorism police officer, work=
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
 {{cite news, date=28 November 2018, work=ITV News, title=Syrian refugee, 15, fears school after playing field attack, url=https://www.itv.com/news/2018-11-28/syrian-refugee-15-fears-school-after-attack/ {{cite news, url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/crime/syrian-refugee-15-says-he-feels-unsafe-at-huddersfield-school-as-video-emerges-of-attack-on-sister-1-9467749, title=Syrian refugee, 15, says he feels unsafe at Huddersfield school as video emerges of attack on sister, date=29 November 2018, first=Georgina, last=Morris, work=Yorkshire Post {{cite news, work=The Guardian, date=30 November 2018, title=Syrian Huddersfield boy asks people not to attack his alleged bully, first=Nazia, last=Parveen, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/30/syrian-boy-jamal-asks-people-not-to-attack-his-alleged-bully-huddersfield {{cite news, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/syrian-refugee-school-attack-huddersfield-tommy-robinson-family-sue-victim-police-a8659921.html, work=The Independent, title=Syrian refugee attack: Family plan to sue Tommy Robinson over allegations against teenage victim, first=Lizzie, last=Dearden, date=29 November 2018 {{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/29/bullied-syrian-refugee-huddersfield-school, title=Bullied Syrian refugee says he will not return to Huddersfield school, date=29 November 2018, first=Nazia, last=Parveen, work=The Guardian {{cite news, work=BBC News, date=5 December 2018, title=Huddersfield video: Syrian boy fundraiser 'spent on relocation', url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-46456144 {{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson threatened with legal action over 'bully' video, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/06/tommy-robinson-threatened-with-legal-action-over-bully-video, access-date=6 December 2018, work=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, date=6 December 2018, last=Parveen, first=Nazia {{cite news, work=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, date=21 January 2019, first=Josh, last=Halliday, title=Bullied Syrian schoolboy to sue Facebook over Tommy Robinson claims, url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jan/21/bullied-syrian-schoolboy-to-sue-facebook-over-tommy-robinson-claims, access-date=21 January 2019 {{cite news, title=Syrian refugee attack: Boy's family crowdfunding to sue Tommy Robinson and Facebook over 'defamation', url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/syrian-refugee-attack-jamal-tommy-robinson-sue-crowdfunding-facebook-huddersfield-school-a8738691.html, access-date=21 January 2019, work=
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
, date=21 January 2019, last=Dearden, first=Lizzie {{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson admits he shared 'fake news' about Muslims attacking boy at school where Syrian refugee was filmed being bullied, author=Katy Clifton, url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/tommy-robinson-admits-he-shared-fake-news-about-muslims-attacking-boy-at-school-was-syrian-refugee-a4005301.html, access-date=30 November 2018, work=
London Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
, date=30 November 2018 {{cite news, title=Far-right activist Tommy Robinson removes videos after legal threat, url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/30/uk/tommy-robinson-syrian-refugee-gbr-intl-scli/index.html, access-date=30 November 2018, work=
CNN International CNN International (CNNI, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel that is owned by CNN Global. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates with sister network CNN's national and inte ...
, date=30 November 2018 {{cite news, work=Huffington Post, date=3 December 2018, first=Aasma, last=Day, title=Lawyer Suing Tommy Robinson On Behalf Of Syrian Refugee Dismisses Claims He Is Blocking Free Speech, url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/family-of-bullied-syrian-refugee-to-sue-tommy-robinson-over-allegations-against-victim_uk_5c014b28e4b0249dce744229 {{cite news , title=Tommy Robinson's YouTube videos restricted after internet giant refuses to delete channel , work=The Independent , date=2 April 2019 , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tommy-robinson-youtube-videos-channel-restricted-muslims-a8850571.html , first=Lizzie , last=Dearden {{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/feb/26/tommy-robinson-banned-from-facebook-and-instagram, title=Tommy Robinson banned from Facebook and Instagram, last=Hern, first=Alex, date=26 February 2019, work=The Guardian, access-date=26 February 2019 {{cite news, last=Dearden, first=Lizzie, title=Tommy Robinson could have caused Huddersfield grooming trials to collapse and child rapists go free, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-prison-jail-grooming-gangs-huddersfield-leeds-contempt-court-facebook-video-a8592871.html, date=19 October 2018, access-date=28 October 2018, work=The Independent {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152, title=Tommy Robinson: Contempt case referred to attorney general, date=23 October 2018, work=
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
 {{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson arrested for 'breaching the peace' outside court during grooming trial, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-arrested-leeds-court-child-grooming-trial-edl-founder-latest-a8368821.html, access-date=25 May 2018, last=Dearden, first=Lizzie, work=The Independent, date=25 May 2018, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525150830/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-arrested-leeds-court-child-grooming-trial-edl-founder-latest-a8368821.html, archive-date=25 May 2018, quote=Judge Heather Norton handed him a three months imprisonment in May last year but suspended it for 18 months on the condition he did not commit further offences. “It is about preserving the integrity of the jury to continue without people being intimidated or being affected by irresponsible and inaccurate ‘reporting’, if that’s what it was.” {{cite news, title=Who is Tommy Robinson – the former EDL leader once branded a 'bigoted lunatic', url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/20/tommy-robinson , archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/20/tommy-robinson , archive-date=12 January 2022 , url-access=subscription , url-status=live, access-date=26 May 2018, work=The Daily Telegraph, date=20 June 2017{{cbignore {{cite news, work=Yorkshire Evening Post, date=19 October 2018, title=YEP says: Why what Tommy Robinson did was put Tommy first – what we did was put the victims first, url=https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/yep-says/yep-says-why-what-tommy-robinson-did-was-put-tommy-first-what-we-did-was-put-the-victims-first-1-9405525 {{cite news , last= Daro , first= Ishmael N. , title = Who Is Tommy Robinson And Why Has His Arrest Captivated The Right Wing Media? , url = https://www.buzzfeed.com/ishmaeldaro/tommy-robinson-arrest , work = BuzzFeed News , date = 29 May 2018 {{cite news, title=EDL founder Tommy Robinson jailed for contempt of court , url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/29/edl-founder-tommy-robinson-jailed-13-months, last=Perraudin, first=Frances, date=29 May 2018, work=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, access-date=29 May 2018 {{cite news , title=Ex-EDL leader Tommy Robinson jailed at Leeds court , url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-44287640 , date=29 May 2018 , work=
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
, access-date=7 June 2018 {{Cite news, url=https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2018/05/28/britse-anti-islamactivist-tommy-robinson-de-cel-in-a1604472, title=Britse anti-islamactivist Tommy Robinson de cel in, last=van Unen, first=David, date=28 May 2018, work=NRC, access-date=28 May 2018, language=nl *{{Cite news, url=https://www.telegraaf.nl/nieuws/2090353/verontwaardiging-over-publicatieverbod-na-arrestatie-tommy-robinson, title= Verontwaardiging over publicatieverbod na arrestatie Tommy Robinson , date= 29 May 2018 , work=
De Telegraaf ''De Telegraaf'' (; en, The Telegraph) is the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper. Haro Kraak,Gaat Paul Jansen de crisis bij De Telegraaf oplossen?, '' de Volkskrant'', 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015. Paul Jansen has been the editor-in-chief s ...
, language=nl {{cite news, date=5 August 2018, work=Cambridge News, url=https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/tommy-robinson-free-court-appeal-14992614, first=Rachael, last=McMenemy, title=Tommy Robinson: This is what the judges said when they released the EDL founder {{cite news , last = Bird , first = Steve , url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/29/edl-founder-jailed-contempt-court-broadcasting-tirade-facebook , archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/29/edl-founder-jailed-contempt-court-broadcasting-tirade-facebook , archive-date=12 January 2022 , url-access=subscription , url-status=live , title=EDL founder Tommy Robinson jailed for contempt of court after broadcasting tirade on Facebook , work=The Daily Telegraph , access-date=31 May 2018{{cbignore {{cite web , title=Tommy Robinson's appeal: what happened? , url=https://thesecretbarrister.com/2018/07/18/tommy-robinsons-appeal-what-happened/ , website=The Secret Barrister , access-date=2 August 2018 , date=18 July 2018 {{cite news , first=Lizzie , last=Dearden , date=1 August 2018 , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-free-prison-bail-appeal-hearing-edl-leader-leeds-a8472921.html , title=Tommy Robinson faces new contempt hearing after being released from prison , work=The Independent {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45668000, title=Tommy Robinson: Ex-EDL chief appears at Old Bailey for contempt case, date=27 September 2018, work=
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
 {{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/oct/23/tommy-robinson-retrial-supporters-gather-at-old-bailey, title=Tommy Robinson: judge refers contempt case to attorney general, date=23 October 2018, work=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, first=Damien, last=Gayle {{cite news , last = Selk , first = Avi , title = Conservative outrage after anti-Muslim campaigner Tommy Robinson secretly jailed in Britain , url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/05/29/conservative-outrage-after-anti-muslim-campaigner-tommy-robinson-secretly-jailed-in-britain/ , newspaper =
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
, date = 29 May 2018 {{cite news , title=Right-wing activist Tommy Robinson reportedly jailed after filming outside child grooming trial , url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/05/26/right-wing-activist-tommy-robinson-reportedly-jailed-after-filming-outside-child-grooming-trial.html , access-date=27 May 2018 , work=Fox News , date=26 May 2018 {{cite news , last=Isitman , first=Elif , url=https://www.elsevierweekblad.nl/buitenland/achtergrond/2018/05/afder-wil-tommy-robinson-politiek-asiel-geven-619080/ , title=Duitse politicus wil politiek asiel voor Tommy Robinson , date=29 May 2018, work=
Elsevier Elsevier () is a Dutch academic publishing company specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content. Its products include journals such as ''The Lancet'', ''Cell'', the ScienceDirect collection of electronic journals, '' Trends'', th ...
, language=nl {{cite news, last = Independent Reporter , url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tommy-robinson-protest-downing-street-whitehall-free-latest-arrest-police-a8371616.html, title=Tommy Robinson protest: Hundreds demonstrate in Downing Street after far-right figure arrested , work = The Independent , date=27 May 2018 *{{cite news , last1 = Gayle , first1 = Damien , last2 = Ntim , first2 = Zac , title = Protesters charged after pro-Tommy Robinson rally in London , url = https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/11/protesters-charged-after-pro-tommy-robinson-rally-in-london , work = The Guardian , date = 11 June 2018 *{{cite news , last1= Powell , first1= Tom , last2= Grafton-Green , first2= Patrick , url= https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/tommy-robinson-protest-clashes-break-out-as-thousands-of-activists-descend-on-whitehall-a3887361.html , title=Twelve arrests as Tommy Robinson activists descend on Whitehall , work = London Evening Standard , date=15 July 2018 , access-date=17 July 2018 {{cite news, first=Colin, last=Drury, work=The Independent, date=15 July 2018, title=Bus driver in headscarf shows far-right Tommy Robinson demonstrators everything that's great about Britain, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/free-tommy-robinson-protest-london-inside-what-happened-far-right-march-a8448241.html {{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson protest: Police release pictures of nine people wanted after violence at London rally, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tommy-robinson-free-protest-met-police-london-wanted-violence-a8459726.html, date=23 July 2018, first=Colin, last=Drury, work=The Independent {{cite news , last=Rodger , first=James , url= https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/uk-news/petition-free-tommy-robinson-signed-14722302 , title= Petition to free Tommy Robinson signed 500,000 times after he's jailed for 13 months , work = Birmingham Mail , date=30 May 2018 {{cite magazine , last1=Armstrong , first1=Stephen , title=This is the Twitter data that shows who's backing Tommy Robinson , url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/tommy-robinson-free-tommy-twitter-data , magazine=Wired , access-date=2 August 2018 , date=28 July 2018 {{cite news , url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-britain-robinson/trumps-ambassador-lobbied-britain-on-behalf-of-jailed-right-wing-activist-tommy-robinson-idUSKBN1K331J , title=Trump's ambassador lobbied Britain on behalf of jailed right-wing activist Tommy Robinson , last=Hosenball , first=Mark , work=Reuters , date=14 July 2018 , access-date=17 July 2018 {{cite news , last1=Polglase , first1=Katie , title=A jailed UK far-right activist has gained some big-name US supporters , url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/26/uk/tommy-robinson-supporters-steve-bannon-sam-brownback-intl/index.html , access-date=27 July 2018 , work=CNN , date=26 July 2018 *{{cite web , title=Tommy Robinson Free – MEF Heavily Involved, url=https://www.meforum.org/articles/2018/tommy-robinson-free-mef-heavily-involved , website=Middle East Forum , access-date=4 August 2018 , date=1 August 2018 {{cite news, date=14 June 2018, title=No, Tommy Robinson hasn't been moved to a 71 per cent Muslim prison, url=https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/tommy-robinson-moved-muslim-prison-14786200, first1=Mikey, last1=Smith, first2=Oliver, last2=MacKenzie, work=Cambridge News {{cite news , title=Tommy Robinson supporter and convicted rapist Wayne Kirby jailed for threatening Sajid Javid, date=6 March 2019, work=Worcester News, url=https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/regional/17477809.tommy-robinson-supporter-and-convicted-rapist-wayne-kirby-jailed-for-threatening-sajid-javid/ *{{cite news , title=Tommy Robinson supporter and convicted rapist jailed for threatening Sajid Javid on Facebook , date=5 March 2019 , work=The Independent , first=Adam , last=Forrest , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-supporter-rapist-wayne-kirby-jailed-abuse-sajid-javid-facebook-a8807666.html {{cite AV media , url=http://video.foxnews.com/v/5817330682001/uk-activist-tommy-robinson-speaks-out-after-prison-release , title=UK activist Tommy Robinson speaks out after prison release , work=Fox News {{cite news , last1=Beale , first1=Charlotte , title=Tommy Robinson complains he was 'mentally tortured' because he had no TV in prison , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tommy-robinson-prison-free-mentally-tortured-no-tv-edl-far-right-a8477096.html , access-date=19 August 2018 , work=The Independent , date=8 August 2018 {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-45805285, title=Army investigates Tommy Robinson photo with soldiers, website=BBC News, date=9 October 2018, access-date=17 October 2018 {{cite news, title=Counter-extremism chief attacks Tommy Robinson soldier photo, date=10 October 2018, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/oct/09/uk-army-investigates-tommy-robinson-poses-with-soldiers, first=Jamie, last=Grierson, work=The Guardian {{cite news, first=Lizzie , last=Dearden , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tommy-robinson-jail-free-congress-us-republican-event-trump-visa-washington-speech-gosar-a8601866.html , title=Tommy Robinson invited to address US Congress members in Washington by Republican supporters , work=The Independent , date=25 October 2018 , access-date=5 November 2018 {{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/13/tommy-robinson-not-granted-us-visa-in-time-for-washington-visit, title=Tommy Robinson not granted US visa in time for Washington visit, work=The Guardian, date=13 November 2018, access-date=13 November 2018 {{cite news, title=Revealed: the hidden global network behind Tommy Robinson , date=7 December 2018 , work=The Guardian , url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/07/tommy-robinson-global-support-brexit-march , first1=Josh , last1=Halliday , first2=Lois , last2=Beckett , first3=Caelainn , last3=Barr * {{cite news, title=The far-right international , date=26 March 2019 , work=New Internationalist , url=https://newint.org/features/2019/02/11/far-right-international , first=Simon , last=Childs {{cite news, title=A spike in far right radicalisation should terrify us – here's how to stop it in its tracks , date=5 February 2019 , work=The Independent , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/tommy-robinson-far-right-funding-yellow-vests-protests-youtube-prevent-radicalisation-a8763776.html , first=Mike , last=Stuchbery {{cite news, title=This hardline US conservative think tank says it's funding Tommy Robinson rallies in the UK , date=14 July 2018 , work=iNews , url=https://inews.co.uk/news/free-tommy-robinson-funding/ , first=Luke , last=Bailey {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-46139193, title=Paypal stops handling payments for Tommy Robinson, work=BBC News, date=8 November 2018, access-date=13 November 2018 {{cite news, title=PayPal bans Tommy Robinson from using service, work=The Guardian, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/08/paypal-bans-tommy-robinson-from-using-service, date=8 November 2018 {{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson supporters 'blocked fire exits to confront SNP MP', work= The National, url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/17373344.tommy-robinson-supporters-blocked-fire-exits-to-confront-snp-mp/, date=21 January 2019, access-date=22 January 2019 *{{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson and a 'small gang' blocked fire exits to get to SNP MP, work= The National, date=22 January 2019, first=Andrew, last=Learmonth, url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/17374510.tommy-robinson-and-a-small-gang-blocked-fire-exits-to-get-to-snp-mp/ *{{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson tries to confront MP in Glasgow, work=
The Herald (Glasgow) ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...
, date=18 January 2019, url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17368470.tommy-robinson-tries-to-confront-mp-in-glasgow/ *{{cite news, title=MP closes Facebook page after Tommy Robinson confrontation, work= STV News, date=20 January 2019, first=Jenness, last=Mitchell, url=https://stv.tv/news/politics/1434760-mp-closes-facebook-page-after-tommy-robinson-confrontation/ *{{cite news, title=Far-right activist Tommy Robinson targets Glasgow MP outside city surgery, work=
Evening Times The ''Glasgow Times'' is an evening tabloid newspaper published Monday to Saturday in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Called ''The Evening Times'' from 1876, it was rebranded as the ''Glasgow Times'' on 4 December 2019.The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
, date=21 January 2019, first=Lizzie, last=Dearden, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tommy-robinson-stewart-macdonald-mp-snp-surgery-glasgow-library-video-far-right-a8738446.html {{cite news, first=Sophie, last=Williams, title=YouTube bans ads on Tommy Robinson's account to stop him making money, work=Evening Standard, url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/youtube-bans-ads-on-tommy-robinson-s-account-to-stop-him-making-money-a4041796.html, date=17 January 2019, access-date=17 January 2019 {{cite news, title=Rape charity hotline bombarded with 'racist abuse' from Tommy Robinson supporters, work=The Independent, date=16 February 2019, first=Eleanor, last=Busby, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rape-crisis-tommy-robinson-facebook-wycombe-chiltern-south-bucks-far-right-a8782661.html *{{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson supporters attack Wycombe rape charity for advice leaflet, date=15 February 2019, work=Bucks Free Press, first=Stephanie, last=Wareham, url=https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/17437321.tommy-robinson-supporters-attack-wycombe-rape-charity-for-advice-leaflet/ *{{cite news, title=Rape charity gets abusive calls after Tommy Robinson post, work=BBC News, date=16 February 2019, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-47260020 *{{cite news, title=Rape Victim Hotline Suffers 'Racist Abuse' Following Tommy Robinson Facebook Post, work=Huffington Post, date=16 February 2019, first1=Nadine, last1=White, first2=Connor, last2=Parker, url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/rape-crisis-charity-bombarded-with-racist-abuse-following-right-wing-facebook-post_uk_5c67f899e4b033a799430498 {{cite web, url=https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/tommy-robinson-jailed-live-stream-14721419, title=This is why Tommy Robinson was jailed for filming outside a court, first1=Stephanie, last1=Finnegan, first2=Oliver, last2=MacKenzie, date=30 May 2018, website=Cambridgenews-mews.co.uk, access-date=13 February 2019 {{cite news, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tommy-robinson-video-drugs-cocaine-islam-far-right-israel-palestine-edl-a8776991.html, title=Tommy Robinson boasts about drugs and proclaims himself 'king of the whole Islam race', in leaked video, date=13 February 2019, newspaper=
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
, access-date=13 February 2019 {{Cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-47335414, title=Tommy Robinson holds Salford protest against BBC Panorama, date=23 February 2019, work=BBC, access-date=26 February 2019 {{cite news, url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/02/23/tommy-robinson-claims-to-reveal-all-about-fake-news-bbc-in-documentary-8723837/, title=Tommy Robinson claims to reveal all about 'fake news' BBC in documentary, last=Buck, first=Kate, date=23 February 2019, work=Metro , access-date=26 February 2019 * {{cite web, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complaint/panoramasweeney/, title=BBC – Complaints – BBC Panorama, BBC One, 23 February 2019, website=www.bbc.co.uk, access-date=27 February 2019 {{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/07/tommy-robinson-to-face-fresh-contempt-of-court-proceedings, title=Tommy Robinson to face fresh contempt of court proceedings – Attorney general cites strong public interest grounds to bring case against EDL founder, last=Bowcott, first=Owen, date=7 March 2019, work=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, access-date=7 March 2019 {{cite news, title=EDL founder Tommy Robinson jailed for mortgage fraud, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/23/edl-founder-tommy-robinson-jailed-mortgage-fraud, access-date=23 January 2014, newspaper=The Guardian (Associated Press), page=10, date=23 January 2014, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203042758/http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/23/edl-founder-tommy-robinson-jailed-mortgage-fraud, archive-date=3 February 2014 {{cite news, last=Arden, first=Christopher, title=English Defence League leader 'released from jail', url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/feb/22/edl-leader-released-from-prison, access-date=24 February 2013, newspaper=The Guardian, date=22 February 2013, location=London, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004064019/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/feb/22/edl-leader-released-from-prison, archive-date=4 October 2013 {{cite news, title=EDL leader Stephen Lennon charged with mortgage fraud, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20528031, access-date=28 November 2012, work=BBC News, date=28 November 2012, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129222144/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20528031, archive-date=29 November 2012 {{cite news, title=EDL Founder Tommy Robinson in Fear of Muslim Attack Beaten up in Woodhill Prison, url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/edl-founder-tommy-robinson-fear-muslim-attack-beaten-woodhill-prison-1435264, access-date=7 May 2014, newspaper=International Business Times, date=5 February 2014, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508030631/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/edl-founder-tommy-robinson-fear-muslim-attack-beaten-woodhill-prison-1435264, archive-date=8 May 2014 {{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson 'Attacked' In Prison, MoJ Urged To Re-Think Ex- EDL Chief's Incarceration, url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/02/07/tommy-robinson-prison_n_4744360.html, access-date=7 May 2014, newspaper=Huffington Post (UK), date=7 February 2014, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401060252/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/02/07/tommy-robinson-prison_n_4744360.html, archive-date=1 April 2014 {{cite web, url=https://www.quilliaminternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Quilliam-letter-to-MoJ.pdf , title=Letter from Maajid Nawaz , url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108062727/http://www.quilliaminternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Quilliam-letter-to-MoJ.pdf , archive-date=8 January 2018 , publisher=Quilliam International, date=6 February 2014 {{cite news, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140619153635/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/jamiebartlett/100013835/the-guards-dont-run-the-prison-islam-does-my-interview-with-a-reformed-tommy-robinson, archive-date=19 June 2014, title='The guards don't run the prison, Islam does': my interview with a 'reformed' Tommy Robinson, url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/jamiebartlett/100013835/the-guards-dont-run-the-prison-islam-does-my-interview-with-a-reformed-tommy-robinson, access-date=17 June 2014, newspaper=The Daily Telegraph, url-status=dead {{cite news, title=Tommy Robinson, former EDL leader, recalled to prison, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29690823, access-date=21 October 2014, newspaper=BBC News, date=20 October 2014, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020200547/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29690823, archive-date=20 October 2014 {{cite web, url=http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/crime/edl-return-to-luton-as-march-passes-peacefully-1-6435168, title=EDL return to Luton as march passes peacefully, newspaper=Luton Today, date=24 November 2014, access-date=12 June 2016, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807203009/http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/crime/edl-return-to-luton-as-march-passes-peacefully-1-6435168, archive-date=7 August 2016 {{cite news, date=23 November 2018, work=BBC News, title=UKIP AM calls for new leadership election over Tommy Robinson role, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-46318705 *{{cite news, title=Anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson appointed as UKIP advisor, url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/23/uk/tommy-robinson-ukip-gbr-intl/index.html, work=CNN, first=James, last=Masters, date=23 November 2018 {{cite news, date=23 November 2018, work=Belfast Telegraph, title=Nigel Farage calls Tommy Robinson a 'thug', url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/video-news/nigel-farage-calls-tommy-robinson-a-thug-37560049.html {{cite news, date=1 December 2018, title=Revealed: far-Right Ukip Brexit demo 'organiser' is a convicted kidnapper, first1=Christopher, last1=Hope, first2=Steve, last2=Bird, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/12/01/revealed-far-right-ukip-brexit-demo-organiser-convicted-kidnapper/ , archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/12/01/revealed-far-right-ukip-brexit-demo-organiser-convicted-kidnapper/ , archive-date=12 January 2022 , url-access=subscription , url-status=live, work=The Telegraph{{cbignore {{cite news, date=4 December 2018, work=The Independent, title=Nigel Farage quits Ukip: Former leader leaves party over Tommy Robinson links, first=Tom, last=Embury-Dennis, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-quit-ukip-tommy-robinson-party-brexit-politics-resignation-leader-a8667311.html *{{cite news, date=4 December 2018, title=Former leader Nigel Farage quits UKIP, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46448299, work=BBC News *{{cite news, work=ITV News, date=7 December 2018, url=https://www.itv.com/news/2018-12-07/ex-ukip-leader-quits-in-protest-at-partys-direction/, title=Ex-Ukip leader quits in protest at 'catastrophic' appointment of Tommy Robinson as adviser *{{cite news, date=27 November 2018, work=The Guardian, url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/27/patrick-oflynn-ukip-mep-quits-tommy-robinson-gerard-batten, first=Peter, last=Walker, title=Third Ukip MEP quits over party's courtship of Tommy Robinson *{{cite news, date=9 December 2018, work=Leicester Mercury, title=MEP Jonathan Bullock quits UKIP over party leader's 'increasing support' for EDL founder Tommy Robinson, first=Dan, last=Martin, url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/mep-jonathan-bullock-quits-ukip-2308671 *{{cite web, date=8 December 2018, title=Dr Julia Reid MEP resigns from UKIP over the current direction of the party, url=http://juliareid.co.uk/dr-julia-reid-mep-resigns-from-ukip/ *{{cite news, work=Gazette and Herald, date=10 December 2018, first=Alison, last=Phillips, title=South West MEP quits UKIP over appointment of Tommy Robinson, url=https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/17287956.south-west-mep-quits-ukip-over-appointment-of-tommy-robinson/ *{{cite news, work=Wales Online, url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/welsh-mep-nathan-gill-quits-15516609, date=6 December 2018, title=Welsh MEP Nathan Gill quits Ukip in protest at Tommy Robinson link-up, first=David, last=Williamson *{{cite news, date=7 December 2018, work=BBC News, title=UKIP: Scottish leader David Coburn quits over 'extremism', url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-46481637 {{cite news , last1=Kentish , first1=Benjamin , title=Ukip to debate inviting Tommy Robinson to join party , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tommy-robinson-ukip-party-membership-debate-gerard-batten-a8525471.html , access-date=9 September 2018 , work=The Independent , date=6 September 2018 {{cite news, work=BBC News, date=17 November 2018, title=UKIP AMs say Tommy Robinson should not be given membership, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-46234945 {{cite news , url =https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-48055802 , title =Tommy Robinson to stand in European Parliament election , date =25 April 2019 , work =BBC News , access-date =25 April 2019 {{cite news , url =https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/apr/25/tommy-robinson-stand-mep-manchester-event-community-leaders-condemn-anti-islam-activist , title =Tommy Robinson announces plans to stand as MEP , date =25 April 2019 , work =The Guardian , first =Josh , last =Halliday {{cite news , url =https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-milkshake-video-warrington-attack-fight-brawl-hospital-police-a8898786.html , title =Tommy Robinson: Police investigate street brawl in which protester 'had nose broken' after milkshake attack , date =3 May 2019 , work = The Independent , first =Lizzie , last =Dearden *{{cite news , url =https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/03/woman-claims-tommy-robinson-ally-broke-her-nose-at-cheshire-event , title =Woman claims Tommy Robinson ally broke her nose in Cheshire , date =3 May 2019 , work =The Guardian , first =Josh , last =Halliday {{cite web, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/05/journalist-makes-police-complaint-about-tommy-robinson, title=Journalist calls police as Tommy Robinson makes video at his home, first1=Peter, last1=Walker, first2=Nazia, last2=Parveen, date=5 March 2019, access-date=5 March 2019, via=www.theguardian.com {{cite news, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tommy-robinson-mike-stuchbery-twitter-doorstep-video-luton-a8807916.html, title=Police called after ranting Tommy Robinson bangs on critic's door at 5am, date=5 March 2019, newspaper=
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
, access-date=5 March 2019 {{cite news, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/tommy-robinson-mike-stuchberry-door-knock-far-right-intimidation-a8808311.html, title=Opinion: I am the latest victim of Tommy Robinson's campaign to intimidate his critics – but he won't shut me up, date=5 March 2019, newspaper=
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
, access-date=5 March 2019 {{cite web, author=Freddie Lynne , url=https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/tommy-robinson-trial-live-updates-15977877 , title=Tommy Robinson LOSES his case against Cambridgeshire Constabulary , website=Cambridgeshire Live , date=15 March 2019 , access-date=15 March 2019
- {{cite web, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/15/tommy-robinson-loses-harassment-case-against-cambridgeshire-police-force , title=Tommy Robinson loses harassment case against police force , website=The Guardian , date=15 March 2019 , access-date=16 March 2019 {{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/apr/25/tommy-robinson-stand-mep-manchester-event-community-leaders-condemn-anti-islam-activist, author=Josh Halliday, title=Tommy Robinson announces plans to stand as MEP, work=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, date=25 April 2019, access-date=28 April 2019 {{cite news, url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/27/tommy-robinson-blames-facebook-ban-admits-defeat-european-elections-9695004/, author=Joe Roberts, title=Tommy Robinson suffers humiliating defeat in European elections, work=Metro UK, date=26 May 2019, access-date=26 May 2019 {{cite news , title=Tommy Robinson guilty over Facebook broadcast , url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48887440 , work=BBC News , date=5 July 2019 {{cite news , last1=Dearden , first1=Lizzie , title=How close Tommy Robinson came to causing collapse of Huddersfield grooming gang trial , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-contempt-court-case-grooming-gang-trial-huddersfield-a8990436.html , work=The Independent , date=5 July 2019


External links

* {{IMDb name, 2792327 {{English Defence League {{UK far right {{authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Tommy 1982 births Living people 21st-century English criminals British National Party people British politicians convicted of fraud Conservative Party (UK) people Counter-jihad activists Criminals from Bedfordshire British critics of Islam English activists English Defence League English far-right politicians English fraudsters English nationalists English people convicted of assault Right-wing populism in the United Kingdom English people of Irish descent Former hooligans English people convicted of drug offences People convicted of stalking English prisoners and detainees Islamophobia in the United Kingdom Anti-Islam sentiment in the United Kingdom People from Luton Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales Prisoners and detainees of Switzerland